Beyond The Answer
by Nukoko
Summary: [He wasn't wrong]. That was the answer he gained. After the battle with his younger self, he finally understood that though his ideals maybe impossible and twisted... he wasn't wrong for following them. With a smile and a promise he returned to his duty. This is a the story that comes after that moment... and a story of a hero who rose up with a little help from a friend.
1. Chapter 1: Beyond the Answer

**Update (08/21/2018):** Minor edits made through the chapter. A few periods were missing in some sentences. A/N Shortened.

 _ **====[Beyond the Answer**_ _]=====_

 _'Exactly when did it start?'_

He laid on the summit of the hill, lazily staring at the gear ridden sky of his soul. The countless swords, both of mundane and of fantastical origins that surround him, somehow bringing him a sense of comfort.

It was dark. Only small traces of light were able to get past the unreasonably large rotating gears that were meshed together in the sky of his reality marble. It made the entirety of his world far more somber than it already was.

The thick haze and the wisps of black smog from the iron forgings only made the somberness more pronounced.

It was as if his soul was stuck in eternal dusk.

 _'I wonder when I started to despise these ideals of mine?'_

He was contemplative and had found himself in such a state more often than not. It had been a trend, a habit he had formed after attempting his ill-thought plan that he could only now consider to be the product of a temporary fit of insanity.

He didn't feel a shred of regret about it however. Regardless of how it turned out, it didn't change the fact that he knew what lay at the end of the road and had no intention of allowing another Shirou Emiya go down the same path he had.

He'd already seen what it offered and since he too was once a person who bore the same name, the same desires, the same history, and the same god forsaken ideals… he didn't doubt that the existence of 'Shirou Emiya' would also come to the same conclusion.

There wasn't any need to allow another to suffer the same fate.

 _'If Rin was here to see me, she'd probably complain to no end…'_

Rin Tohsaka. The name rolled off his tongue rather naturally.

Oddly enough, that name had somehow been buried and lost in the depths of his mind as he slowly descended into the hell that he found himself in as a Counter Guardian.

Memories were a complicated thing, especially for someone who had essentially existed for what a normal human being would consider to be equivalent to an eternity. At this point it was already impossible to approximate the amount of time he'd existed.

He could recall certain events from when he was still mortal, ones that he would most likely never forget even if he were to lose his mind, body, and soul.

Kiritsugu's smile, his death and parts of his childhood, summoning Saber and parts of the grail war, receiving the holy shroud that he now wears, the moment he forged his contract…

Yet somehow, memories of the Rin Tohsaka of his original world, not the one who had recently summoned him, were difficult to pull up.

They were friends. That much he could be sure of. She was a unique existence. She was essentially the only person he would put in that category.

He had comrades yes, quite a lot actually. However the name Rin Tohsaka was the only one he was able to actually associate with the word friendship.

 _'Yet I utterly fail at remembering anything of worth with that Rin.'_

It was a complicated feeling. He knew they remained friends for most of his mortal life but there was something about their relationship that he should remember. At the very least, he needed to concentrate and remember what the last thing they did or talk about…

 **'You're an idiot!'**

 _'Ah…. Right…'_

As if lightning had struck his mind, he was able to recall a certain memory.

 _'She had a look of utter betrayal. She bit her lips until they bled, her knuckles turning white from clenching her hands so tightly, her face twisted in despair as she was trying but failing to stop herself from crying.'_

Her image and her voice, the event itself was so clear and so vivid that it was surprising that he only remembered this now.

What accompanied the sudden reminiscence was a sense of nostalgia.

 _'We talked a lot… She'd talk about her studies and research, I'd tell her about my missions and adventures…'_

As if a dam had broken, he was suddenly flooded with a torrent of memories of their time together. They were choppy and fragmented, but it was easy for him to tell from even just those.

They were close friends, have been since fighting together in the fifth grail war. He relied on her for a lot of things and she was the person he would usually ask advice from when he needed it.

She supported him when he was still starting out and had a hand in the process of developing his Tracing. In fact, her brilliance and genius, combined with his single-minded pursuit of his dream and ideal were the foundation for the creation of his craft.

He would usually make a stop at her workshop, one of the few who had free right to enter it, and would help her when she needed something done. When they had time, they would talk. They'd catch up on each other's current affairs, then he'd scold her for not taking care herself enough and she'd hit him in the back of the head, call him an idiot and a hypocrite, and then lecture him about how he really should settle down.

It was a productive and healthy relationship, arguably his only one.

Of course, that all ended after he told her about forging a contract with the world.

 _'That was probably the only time I've seen her that emotional.'_

It was hard to describe his friend's reaction. There was shock, betrayal, confusion, and despair, all rolled into one. He never did understand why she had reacted like that; she knew what he was like and what his ideals were.

Though for some reason, it felt like he was still failing to remember a few things regarding that event and their relationship in general.

In hindsight however, he was able to wager that maybe that genius little mind of his friend was able to see where his fate was headed and had reacted accordingly.

If so then it would definitely explain the reaction. He could only wish he had the same level of foresight.

 _'I wonder what kind of reaction she would give if I told her what I've been doing until now?'_

He was absolutely sure she'd call him the biggest idiot in existence. He was also sure she'd go into a rant and lecture him for a few hours before finally stopping with an utterly tired and exasperated sigh.

 _'After that though, what would she say?'_

He had foolishly followed his ideals, believing that the contract with Alaya that he forged would allow him to continue following it after his passing.

He smiled as he was taken in by the world and his spirit was realized as a Counter Guardian.

He lost that smile as he had become burdened, disillusioned, and crushed by said ideals for every life he took to 'save humanity'.

He killed and killed, _killed and killed,_ _**killed and killed**_.

It didn't matter who or what it was. For as long as they were involved, they had to be killed. Regardless of age, gender, or race, he would kill them for the sake of saving humanity from destroying itself.

He had probably killed more than any weapon and any hero of legend that sat in the throne of heroes. He had probably murdered more than any serial killer, mass murderer, and dictator that ever existed in any given world.

He was forced to kill until his polite and gentle words were replaced with snark and vitrol.

He was forced to kill until his view was jaded with cynicism.

He was forced to kill until he could only blame the idiotic ideals that had brought him to this fate in the first place.

He was forced to kill until the only hope he had left was to rely on an idiotic plan that would never work no matter how badly he wished it to.

It was stupid. He felt stupid from just thinking back on it.

Stupid for coming up with it, stupid for going through with it, stupid for even believing it had a chance of working, and stupid because it actually allowed him to realize one thing.

 _'It wasn't wrong… I wasn't wrong…'_

After everything had come to pass and come to an end, the insane plan he had thought up and acted on had lead him to that one answer.

 _That even though his ideals were unreasonable…_

 _That even though his ideals were impossible…_

 _That even though his ideals made him distorted beyond repair…_

 _That no matter where his ideals had taken him, no matter what had become of him from following it…_

 **They weren't wrong.**

 **He wasn't wrong in believing in them.**

 **He wasn't wrong in pursuing them.**

 _'Even if it's like this… even as a counter guardian…'_

He was beyond saving. There was no escape from his fate. He would be a Counter Guardian for the rest of eternity, a glorified puppet. He would need to keep killing for the sake of saving until mankind itself stops existing…

…but he'd keep doing it. He'll keep trying no matter how futile, even if only to honor the words he had spoken in front of the image of a friend he used to have.

 **[I am the bone of my sword].**

He spoke the first line with a hint of passion as he recalled the implied promise he had with the girl that summoned her.

… _.._

… _.._

… _._

 _He was disappearing. He could feel his very existence barely able to hold itself together._

 _He stared down at the girl whose eyes were filled with emotion, whose lips were unable to let out words he knew she wanted to say._

 _He smiled. It was a genuine smile. One he hadn't had in a very long time._

 _He look at the girl's face one more time and recalled the time they've spent together._

 _After engraving the girl's smile into his memory with pride…_

 _"I found my answer. Its fine, Tohsaka. I'll do my best from now on as well."_

 _A breeze._

 _The knight has finally rested his wounded body, without waiting for the girl's reply._

 _'Ah... so another one...'_

He was actually having a pleasant time reminiscing but he could feel a surge of power in his surroundings.

That only meant one thing.

 _"My dear Hero…."_

It was a voice, a call for his service. A call for him to stain his hands and his blades with blood for the sake of humanity.

He grimaced for a moment, but quickly shook his head.

He'd already decided that he'd soldier on in this path.

For the sake of the girl who was once his friend, for the sake of the girl that summoned him and prayed for his salvation, and for the sake of a fool who had shown him the answer…

 _"My dear Hero, heed my call…"_

He kept his eyes closed and light enveloped his whole body. Alaya would soon transport him to where his mission would be.

 _"The world and its people needs aid…"_

It was a ritual of sorts, for Alaya to speak these words. He'd heard it enough times that he knew it by heart.

 _"So my dear Hero… please take up your sword and show the world its splendor!"_

 _'Hmmm…. That's not…'_

That wasn't the usual line. That and there was far too much enthusiasm.

Alaya didn't do enthusiasm.

Sensing something amiss, he quickly opened his eyes but the light had already made it impossible to see.

As the light devoured him, he swore he had somehow hear a different voice...

 _"Let's go …Shirou!"_

Had he opened his eyes quicker, he would have been able to see the image of a girl with an impish grin plastered on her face.

 _ **====[Beyond the Answer**_ _]=====_

 **Power.**

Grand, imposing, limitless, and unequaled. Power that dwarfed everything else he had felt before. Power that could easily crush him if he were to ever so much as touch it.

That was what he had felt the second he had approached the foot of the mountain.

It told him he was in the right place.

"M-my lord… I-is this really a good idea? I don't think…"

" _Silence._ This is our chance, with this we can be recognized and attain a higher position in the faction."

"… Understood."

He let out a sigh at the actions of his subordinates. Though he could understand the hesitation, he wasn't about to miss this opportunity just because they got cold feet.

Devils were a race that held power as an absolute and though he was loathe to admit it, he wasn't fortunate enough to have inherited any significant amount of power.

He was strong enough to hold a position in the Old Satan Faction but he wasn't stupid enough not to notice that he was nothing more than a pawn in the board.

He would settle for that. He may not have absolute power but he had ambition. He had what it took to rise above the other purebloods and lead them to finally eliminate that pathetic excuse for a maou that was Sirzechs Lucifer.

"Guh…. As expected of the dragon of legend…"

It only took a few minutes for them to reach summit of the mountain, as they approached, the power that they felt somehow grew more intense.

He couldn't help but smile as a he saw their target.

The only thing he needed was a means of gaining power and what was capable of granting him that was right in front of his eyes.

"What a unique appearance that is. No wonder we've had a difficult time finding you…"

What he was addressing was a girl. A small girl with jet black hair, wearing a strangely revealing frilly purple dress.

She was staring blackly at the sky as she sat atop near the edge of the cliff.

"The Ouroboros Dragon… the one who represents the Infinite. One of the two dragons of legend whose power is said to dwarf every other. Ophis was it?"

The Great Red and Ophis. The two strongest beings in existence. Said to have existed even before written history, beings who held power that went far beyond the realm of reason and possibility.

The idea of a being such as that taking on the appearance of a young girl was beyond idiotic, however he had made sure not to voice such thoughts.

"Lady Ophis… or would like to be addressed with another title?"

He and his subordinates approached slowly, making sure not to appear like a threat in any way.

They succeeded, if the fact that the Ouroboros dragon had completely ignored their existence since they appeared counted for anything.

"Lady Ophis it is then… now my lady, I'd like to ask something of you…"

He crouched down and reached out to touch the dragon's shoulder.

He knew for a fact that the girl he was about to touch could crush every single one of them like bugs at any given time, however he also knew from the information they gathered that the Ouroboros dragon rarely if ever attacked anyone.

He only needed to get the damned thing to pay attention to him, he would make as many sweet words and empty promises he needed to obtain her power.

It would surely be easy. Trapping gullible fools into unfair contracts and conditions was his forte. The Ouroboros may have held power but he could easily tell it was also utterly gullible. It was a conclusion reach from his wealth of experience.

"Now… you see we're here to offer you a deal. Great Re—"

 ***GOGOGOGOGO***

He could feel his heart almost stop from the sudden tremor and the flash of light that accompanied it. He felt a surge of power and stood absolutely still as he saw the Ouroboros Dragon, for the first time, move its face to look at the direction where the sound had come from.

Slowly, he turned to face the same direction, his subordinates doing so as well.

From behind them, there was nothing but Heart-Shaped Pendant laying in the ground.

"What the he—"

"M-master!"

He was unable to finish his sentence as he instinctively jumped to the side as several swords came flying at his original position. It would have surely skewered him if he hadn't reacted fast enough.

Apparently his subordinates weren't as fortunate as they were clearly injured by the attack.

"Tch…!"

He stood up quickly and glared at the strange looking human that had the gall to attack them.

The human was a boy with white hair, dark skin, and a grey eyes that told him well enough that he was dangerous. The red coat he wore made his skin crawl.

"A Holy Shroud…. What is a dog of the church doing in here?!"

"… Tch, based on the messy summoning and now this, I'm guessing this isn't some normal extermination mission."

The white haired boy casually walked to pick up the heart-shaped pendant that was on the ground as he grumbled about incomprehensible things.

"ANSWER ME!"

He flared his demonic energy to get the boy's attention. He considered attacking but his instincts were telling him that a surprise attack here would spell his doom.

He's lived long enough to know when to follow his instincts, especially in the presence of what was most definitely someone who held a holy item.

"… A dog of the church you say? Usually I wouldn't bother with you lot but it seems that the one responsible for sending me on these god forsaken missions didn't seem to think that informing me of the details was worth their time. Hence, I have to settle for getting information out of you…"

The white haired boy suddenly summoned a blade in his hand while carrying the pendant in the other. For some reason the man's eyes widened in surprise as he seemed to come realize something.

The boy's face quickly twisted into a scowl.

"First the pendant and now this..."

He took the chance to gather demonic energy in the palm of his hand and started concentrating it.

It was clear that he won't be getting a chance to talk in this situation. He'll just have to fight the boy, instincts be damned.

"Name myself…? Exactly what purpose would that serve? Why in the world would a Counter Guardian need to make an introduction?"

The boy was still ignoring him, apparently choosing to talk to whatever being he was communicating with in the heart-shaped pendant.

"Fine…"

He released his energy and a large burst of flames erupted from his palm, large enough to obscure the boy's view of him.

He proceeded to jump back and over the cliff, revealing his wings. He needed to take advantage of the sky and attack from a distance.

However, before he could even fly up high, he suddenly felt searing pain from his sides.

"How….!?"

The blade that the boy held somehow found itself embedded into his side.

Before he could even regain his bearings, he found himself thrown to the ground, facing up.

"GuAAAAAAAH!?"

Several swords then impaled his legs, pinning him down without mercy.

"Haaaah… though I'm utterly dubious and unwilling, It seems I have to introduce myself…"

He looked up, to see the white haired boy looking down on him. The boy's steel grey eyes instilling fear to the very core of his being.

"Emiya. A wandering…. mercenary."

He attempted to move but despite the fact that only his legs were pinned, he found that his entire body was unable to even budge.

"Now that that completely unnecessary act is done…"

He was mistaken. This boy wasn't just some kind of human. His presence was far too different.

He didn't know what the boy really was. All he knew…

"Would you be willing to answer my questions demon?"

… was that he wasn't going to survive this.

 _ **====[Beyond the Answer**_ _]=====_

A/N: Well I guess that's the first thing I've written in a long while...

Anyway, how was Archer? This Archer btw, is taken directly from the UBW ending. Almost right after the heartrending farewell with Rin post-final battle.

During that scene, we saw that Archer EMIYA had already regained a bit of his Shirou there so I wanted to attempt to show that here, when he's having a moment to himself. This is him having a personal moment of introspection though so he'll still be depicted the way he traditionally is when interacting with other people.

 **==[Additional]==**

For my original stories - Blog: nukokon_word press _com  
If you want to support me – P a treon_com (slash)nukoko

Underscores are dots and no spaces!

Thank you and see you next chapter!


	2. Chapter 2: Red Reunion I

**Upated (08/20/18): Minor edits. Why so many periods were missing in the dialogue parts is beyond me really.**

Thank you for the unexpectedly warm reception! I was honestly not expecting to break 50 in anything for this fic and even then that felt like a rather optimistic estimation.

 **==[Beyond The Answer]==**

 **==[The Silent Dragon Girl - Ophis]==**

She valued silence. It was only in absolute silence where she felt true comfort.

The Dimensional Gap, a void world that existed between Heaven, Earth, and the Underworld, was the only place that was capable of providing her with such a thing.

At least, that was the case until The Great Red had decided to reside in it during the short time she had left the place to sate her curiosity regarding humanity.

She didn't really care at first. She believed that she simply needed to find another place.

For a time, she had scoured every part of the world. From the spheres of Heaven to the depths of hell, from the bustling cities of Earth to the most remote of its regions… she spent countless years finding another that could give her the same absolute silence she once had in the Dimensional Gap….

… But she failed.

She tried every place she found, no matter how strange but even the locations that had been devoid of life held a hint of a noise that she could detect. There were places, a handful she could recall, that came close but never quite bringing her the level of comfort she once had.

Slowly, she had come to understand that there was likely no other place that would compare to her old haven.

 _'Great Red must be defeated.'_

That was the conclusion she arrived at.

If she couldn't find another place to replace the Dimensional Gap, then she had no other choice but to once again confront The Great Red.

If Great Red was defeated and removed from the Dimensional Gap, then she would surely reclaim her precious silence.

However, such a task was easier said than done. The fellow Dragon God had held power equal if not more so than her. Though a winner between the two wouldn't truly be clear until she attempted to battle, the problem was doing battle would definitely destroy the one place that she could truly call 'home'.

Hence she searched for a different way. She had lived long and she was patient. She knew she would eventually find something that would either allow her to remove Great Red or find a replacement for the Gap. It didn't matter how long it would take. She would spend centuries and millennia if necessary for this endeavor.

 _Of course, she wasn't quite expecting to find something so randomly, nor was she expecting to find it in the soul of mortal being._

 **[Unlimited Blade Works].**

She could still recall it vividly…

From words of power and a burst of flames, a world had been born.

It was a surreal world. She had seen many places before but nothing quite compared.

No, not even the Dimensional Gap could match the world she had seen.

The ground was cracked and barren, unlikely capable of nurturing any life. Dust and iron forging covered the ground, as if it was responsible for nurturing it.

There were countless human weapons that seemed to serve as the inhabitants of the world. They stood imposingly as they were planted vertically on the barren land. Some of them held power, some did not, and others still simply remained incomprehensible.

Then there was the sky…

Unlike the ever changing colors of the sky of the Dimensional Gap, the sky of the world of blades was completely blocked by the human made contraptions whose name she couldn't recall. On top of that, a thick haze obscured the view further and made it seem like the sky was brewing up a storm.

Beyond all that however was the fact that the world of infinite blades held the one thing she craved…. _Silence_.

Silence that was so immaculate, so pure that Dimensional Gap felt tumultuous in comparison. Silence that made her feel so peaceful she could close her eyes and rest for the rest of eternity.

It was perfect beyond all measure. It was a world where she could remain without complaint.

Right then and there, she decided that she would never allow herself to leave that world like she had with the Dimensional Gap.

Unfortunately, that world disappeared as fast as it came and she could only look sadly at the one had that brought it forth.

It was the white haired mortal she had met and had followed out of whim.

Shirou Emiya she recalled. That was the name of that mortal.

At first she had only held a passing interest, detecting a hint of power that felt far too foreign. She had thought that the mortal may be help in her quest to retake the Dimensional Gap…

… But instead it seemed that the mortal held something far more precious.

 **"Shirou Emiya."**

She spoke the name again, making sure to commit it to memory. She knew nothing about the mortal nor how he brought forth the world of infinite blades but she would make sure she would be there to see it once again.

To accomplish that, she would never leave his side for even a moment.

After all, now that she found her new haven of silence, she would never allow it to escape her grasp.

 **==[Beyond The Answer]==**

 **==[The Breakfast Maker - EMIYA]==**

 _ ***SIZZLE***_

The hiss of the oil as he cracked the egg on the pan resounded in the small room they were in. The small studio type apartment that they managed to rent for the week was a large boon on their side due to the limited funds they had. Finding something like that in the heart of Tokyo was a bout of fortune that even he wasn't willing to take for granted.

He lowered the heat just a bit before getting a pinch of salt and sprinkling it on the egg. Seeing that the white was already set on the bottom, he quickly and deftly took the spatula and a flipped it over.

Before the minute was over, he took the eggs out and put it on the small microwavable container that already had some fried rice inside.

Next he took a small slice butter and melted it on the pan and then took some bacon he had already prepared and put it inside, this time increasing the heat just a bit.

 _ ***SIZZLE***_

 _ ***PAT PAT PAT***_

"Yes yes, I'll make sure to make you some so be patient Ophis."

He replied to the girl currently sitting on his shoulder, hugging his head like an alien intent on attacking its human victim, and was patting his head. It was an odd position to be in but she had somehow decided that this was her rightful place anytime he was cooking.

The girl was rather taciturn and her face made national poker players look expressive but he had learned to understand her through the small gestures and actions she would sometimes make.

He had originally thought that the Dragon God had no emotions to speak of but he eventually came to understand in the three months he had spent traveling that it simply never had a chance to develop instead.

 _ ***PAT PAT PAT***_

"No, I'm not making desert. I neither have the right equipment or ingredients for that."

 _ ***PAT PAT PAT PAT PAT ***_

"No amount of head patting you do will change that."

The head pats then began to intensify as he calmly refused the whims of the dragon god sitting on his shoulder, an existence capable of not only erasing his entire being in a snap of a finger but also capable of doing the same thing with whole continents.

Unfortunately for the Dragon God, he couldn't possibly care less.

"Alright, get down so you can eat breakfast."

Before he could even sense the dragon god moving, the girl had already been calmly sitting on the chair, her bowl of rice and chopsticks already set on the table, as if she had been there the whole time

Having had the time to get used to it, he simply gave her a plate of bacon while putting the rest of the food on the microwaveable container.

The second he was done, the girl had begun eating with the speed and ferocity of certain blonde king.

"It's certainly fortunate that my magecraft is the only thing I need for hunts… if that appetite of yours can match that Saber then I'd have to make sure three-fourths of our total budget is reserved for food expenses."

By his estimation, said Saber could probably eat the equivalent of a kingdom's worth of people. Something that he felt was more appalling than any of the feats in her legend.

 _'Looks like the pendant still hasn't given any new instructions.'_

He took the heart-shaped pendant out from his pocket and carefully studied it with Structural Analysis.

It was a peculiar object, one that gave him a bout of nostalgia considering the significance of the object to him. Unlike before, it was filled to the brim with prana and enchanted with something he couldn't quite identify.

However what made the pendant even more unusual was the fact that he could tell it wasn't just some replica.

 _'It's the same one…'_

The heart-shaped pendant in his hand was _the original one that_ _ **his version**_ _of Rin Tohsaka had used to revive him when during_ _ **his version**_ _of the grail war._

The same pendant he should've given to the _**other version**_ _of Rin Tohsaka that had summoned him_ , thinking it was likely the only chance he would get to return the object _._

No matter how many times he investigated the pendant to double-check, that was still the conclusion he had come to in the end.

Why that pendant appeared along with him in the world was beyond him but it did serve another purpose.

It also gave him instructions on things he needed to do, though really only two have been given to him so far.

The first was **[Give an introduction, reveal real name and your face, when prompted].**

The second being **[Protect the Ouroboros Dragon].**

The latter was something he was fully willing and ready to do. Regardless of the fact that Ophis was for all intents and purposes, invincible, she was still someone he needed to protect as there was surely any number of asinine beings in the world that would take advantage of her innocence for their own benefit.

The former however was something he disagreed with. Restricting information was important and showing his face gave people the ability to identify him from a distance. It was basically giving everyone an easier means of investigating him.

 _'It's clear that the one responsible for my existence here wants my presence to be well known for whatever reason. The only question here is, why?'_

He had spent the past three months gathering information, and though that had allowed him to better get a grasp of the kind of world he was in and allowed him to adapt accordingly, he had yet to even find anything that would let him understand why he was summoned into this world.

The only thing he could use as a guide so far was the pendant and the trail of incidents he had encountered.

So far, he'd been involved in quite a few of these _events._

One could actually consider his involvement in said events to be a coincidence, a mere happenstance. Just a matter of him being in the wrong place at the wrong time or the right place and the right time depending on perspective…

Of course that only one that would actually believe that that was the case were idiots or five year old children that would follow strangers who gave them candy.

It was blatantly obvious that _he was arranged_ to participate in those incidents.

It was clear he was being lead _into something, or somewhere._

 _'Suspicious doesn't even begin to cover it. I don't like being uninformed and strung like a puppet but I don't much of a choice...'_

He of course had the option on just ignoring everything and moving about on his own, however he had a fair amount of experience in having to deal with this kind of insanity before and knew full well that recklessly resisting for the sake of resisting would bring more damage in the long run.

Hence, for now, he'll play along. At least until he could get enough information to make a better judgement of the current state of things.

"Looks like it's about time…"

He looked at the shoddy clock on the wall and saw that it was about time for his meeting. He placed the pendant back into his pocket and glanced at the dining table.

Ophis had already completely cleared out the food and was staring at him like she usually did when she wasn't doing anything. Apparently, staring at him was one of her favorite pastimes.

He proceeded to put everything on the sink, submerging them in water.

"Let's go Ophis. That idiot is probably already there waiting for us."

He grabbed the microwaveable container and put it inside a paper-bag and proceeded out the door.

Hopefully, this meeting would give him some answers instead of more questions.

 **==[Beyond The Answer]==**

 **==[Meeting the Future Joker - EMIYA]==**

He walked cautiously in the bustling streets of Shinjuku with Ophis in tow, said dragon god cutely tugging on the hem of his shirt. They were a rather odd pair, especially considering the height difference between them but people didn't seem to give them much attention aside from a few odd looks.

He at least made sure they were wearing discreet clothing. He was wearing a button up long-sleeve, black trousers, black loafers and a pair of decorative glasses while Ophis was wearing a black sailor uniform, a pink cardigan, thigh-high knee socks and doll shoes. On a side note, he had already completely banned the original highly fetishistic black dress that the dragon wore before for reasons that were obvious.

Though it wasn't exactly something he should be wearing for battle, it was far more important that he didn't attract any more attention than necessary. He attracted more than enough with his tanned skin and white hair.

Though it was highly unlikely they would get attacked considering that most of the supernatural beings in the world actually followed the rule of preventing the reveal of the supernatural to the general populace.

 _'Looks like there are also devils that work here.'_

Of course that didn't really mean that the supernatural beings weren't in any way involved with normal human beings. In fact it was the opposite. Most of the supernatural beings from the major factions actively involved themselves with human beings.

Said major factions, the Devils, Angels, and Fallen Angels, as he had found out two months ago, had followed a system that allowed them to establish a sort of a mutually beneficial relationship with human beings willing to interact with them.

Case in point, a devil handing out magically imbued pamphlets that apparently let people qualified to use them to establish a working relationship with the devil group associated with the pamphlet.

It took him quite a lot of effort to actually accept that as 'common sense' since he'd never really had any pleasant memories regarding supernatural beings. Those things were usually something that he was supposed to kill after all.

 _'Devils seem to have quite a bit of freedom in this country in general, though that's probably the lesser influence of the church in these parts.'_

The two of them parted from the main roads and entered went into an alleyway.

They weaved through the various stores that were placed inside, slowly going deeper. He had already made sure to memorize the general details regarding the area to make sure they wouldn't get caught unprepared.

As they went deeper, the number of humans slowly decreased. The more they walk the more people around them seem to become unique. Some could be seen wearing cloaks and robes, some blatantly carrying weapons and the like, and some even wearing a full suit of armor.

Unlike in the main roads, there wasn't a single person looking at them like they were odd. Everyone seemed to mind their own business and though the area could still be considered lively with activity, it felt far more subdued.

"Ah… EMIYA-KUN, OVER HERE!"

As they approached a peculiar ramen stand, a loud voice called him over.

It was a blonde haired man with green eyes. He was dressed in flamboyant priest clothes, ones that had intricately made angel-like wings sprouting from right under the collar. He was dangerously leaning backwards from the stool he was on as he was wildly gesturing them to approach.

"Dulio Gesualdo."

He called the man's name as he threw the paper bag containing the food he had cooked earlier as he and Ophis took a seat on the available stools.

Dulio caught the bag and gave him a large grin.

"YES! Emiya-kun cooking get! Thank you!"

The blonde didn't even waste time. He immediately opened the paper bag and the microwavable contained, then proceeded to eat without hesitation.

"Ahhh…. My god in heaven, thank you for this wonderfully prepared food!"

"I can only imagine what horrors your church feeds you if something so simple can make you cry tears of joy…. Anyway, make it fast. I want to get this bit done. I don't like having this one out in these areas for any length of time"

Dulio didn't bother to reply to his quip and simply happily ate the food.

Seeing as their meeting wasn't really going to begin until the man was finished eating, he ordered some water for himself while throwing a glance towards his companion to see what she wanted.

"… Shoyu."

The reply was instant and from the small glint he could see in her eye, it seems she was particularly excited.

"Hmmmm…. Thank you for the food."

Before Ophis' order even came, Dulio had already finished eating his prepared food.

"Ahaha, Emiya-kun, seriously, you should become a chef or something."

"You've told me that enough times already. Enough with the small talk, what do you have for me?"

"Haaah, really Emiya-kun. You're way too serious you know that? You should learn to relax sometimes!"

Fully knowing that replying would only prolong the meeting, he opted to stay silent as Dulio rummaged around his duffel bag. Having met and even worked with Dulio a few times despite the length of time he had spent in the current world, had given him enough chances to understand the general personality of the man.

Dulio Gesualdo was for the most part easy-going and carefree. He was primarily energetic and whimsical, especially when it came to finding and eating good food. Outside of work, he was rather lazy but was a genuinely kind human being.

It was sometimes rather difficult to actually think that the very same man was a holder of the Longinus named Zenith Tempest, and was widely considered to be one of the strongest exorcist of the church to currently exist.

 _'The sacred gear said to be capable of killing god, a Longinus… not to mention he happens to hold one of the strongest that's capable of manipulating the weather and its elements…'_

If he was honest, he was actually rather relieved that a weapon of that caliber was in the hands of someone that wasn't a power hungry megalomaniac. He's had to deal with a lot of those in his lifetime and it was a refreshing to have the god killing weapons in the hand of ones who wouldn't abuse it.

"Here it is!"

Dulio took out one two envelopes and handed it to him. He wasted no time in discreetly opening both to check the contents while making sure no one was near him enough to get a glance.

The first envelope was rather large and contained information about the magicians and cabals of the world, while the second was significantly smaller and contained information pertaining to the Dragons Gods.

"Everything should be there. I've asked one of my comrades, Griselda Quarta, for the information so I can assure its accuracy."

"This was a lot less than I expected."

"Well yeah, though we have enough information on the magic side, information on the Dragon Gods are severely limited in comparison. That stack of papers you have there pretty much makes up the totality of the information the church has on them since the discovery of their existence."

He skimmed through the files and photos inside the envelopes before closing it.

 _'I'll go through this thoroughly later. I can't afford to have Ophis stay here any longer.'_

He took out some money and placed it on the counter. He didn't even need to check on Ophis to see if she was done eating. He was absolutely confident that the girl had already devoured the food before he had even finished skimming the files given to him.

"You have my thanks Gesualdo."

"Ah geez, Emiya-kun, I've told you to just use my name! Anyway, sorry I couldn't get you any more than that. Though Griselda and I have pretty high clearance, there's still a significant amount of information we can't touch."

"That's fine. I'm more surprised how forthcoming you are with providing information. I'd expect you and your organization to be more guarded when handing these out."

No self-respecting organization would hand out information to anyone that would ask nicely after all. Especially to someone like him, a completely unknown entity with a shoddily made background.

"Well I do owe you after all. Besides, that level of information doesn't really contain anything sensitive. If you spent enough time you could easily obtain all of that yourself. The same goes for the info on the dragon gods… though I find strange you don't just ask directly."

Dulio glanced to the unmoving Ophis beside him as he spoke the last line. It was a given that the exorcist would know what was sitting beside them considering that he had had the pleasure of seeing the girl's power firsthand.

Though Ophis' current form wasn't quite well known to the major factions and the fact that she was fully capable of hiding her power thoroughly, it wasn't quite that difficult to make the connection when you see a large black snake made of pure power devour several stray devils in an instant.

Given, most wouldn't exactly come to the conclusion that someone capable of that would automatically be the Ourobors Dragon. In fact, the reason why Dulio had come to the correct conclusion was more to do with him having prior information with regards to the powers displayed by the Ouroboros Dragon and his instincts.

To their fortune, due to the exorcist's own code, the man pretended not to notice.

In turn, he himself would pretend that Ophis was just an ordinary girl even when her cover was already blown from the start.

It was a mutual understanding between them of sorts.

 ***FLASH* *FLASH***

 _'The pendant…?'_

He felt a small surge of power flow from the heart-shaped pendant in his pocket.

"Looks like I'm out of time… Gesualdo, you have my gratitude for the information regardless. Give Griselda Quarta my regards as well."

He stood up from his seat and immediately started walking with Ophis following suit, not even waiting for a reply.

"EMIYA-KUN, MAKE SURE TO CONSIDER OUR OFFER! GRISELDA ALSO WANTS YOU WITH US!"

He stopped momentarily to glance at Dulio, seeing the man waving at him while smiling.

He simply nodded and went back to walking.

 **==[Beyond The Answer]==**

 **==[The Dreaded Meeting - EMIYA]==**

He broke into a run with Ophis having decided to simply ride on his back.

 _'Damn it, what's with that arbitrary time limit?!'_

Right after leaving the ramen stand and Dulio, he had found a place to check on the heart-shaped pendant to see why he felt some power emanating for it.

To his surprise and _severe dread_ , the instructions that were formerly contained in the pendant had disappeared and were replaced by a simple message.

 **[Be at apartment in 10 minutes or you di-, will be sorry].**

The utterly unreasonable command and the deliberately crossed out threat sent shivers down his spine. Even his unmeasurable and unparalleled experience in dealing with and eliminating monstrosities wasn't quite enough to stop him from feeling a bit of dread from reading the message.

He's always had a hunch for why the pendant had appeared but had always dismissed it considering the sheer impossibility of it.

"There is, a person inside…"

Ophis commented as he approached the apartment complex, climbed to the second floor, and keyed open the door. From his mental countdown, he was aware that the time limit had already passed.

"…You're late!"

 _'Well, I really should've seen this one coming.'_

He stared at the person that appeared right after he had opened the door.

It was a girl with a devilish grin on her face.

She was clad in red turtleneck shirt that shirt that had a cross-like design in the middle, a black skirt, and thigh-high black socks.

She had black hair that were done up in twin-tails using black ribbons.

She stood proud, her posture filled with confidence and condescension.

"Rin…."

He knew, he didn't understand exactly how but he knew.

 _This wasn't any other Rin Tohsaka from a random parallel dimension._

 _This wasn't the Rin Tohsaka that had summoned him as a servant in the fifth grail war._

 _No._

 _ **This was the Rin Tohsaka of his world.**_

 _ **The original Rin Tohsaka, his friend from before he became a Counter Guardian.**_

"Hey Shirou… long time no see!"

The greeting was a bit too exuberant for him. To a point that the level of energy behind the greeting could only make him raise his guard.

For some reason, it filled him with both a sense of nostalgia and a sense of dread. Mostly the latter.

The fact that Rin's smile grew wider upon seeing his reaction only exemplified his dread.

"So Shirou… why don't we… catch up?"

He just knew he would soon regret being summoned in this world.

 **==[Beyond The Answer]==**

 **A/N:** That concludes this one... sorry if it got a bit too exposition-y. I've had to rewrite the thing for a bit to not make the thing look like an info dump though i think there are still parts that feel a bit too exposition heavy.

Not much happens this time since I needed to establish the foundations for the relationships, some foreshadowing, and needed to intro Rin of course. More stuff should happen next chapter since Rin's here and the fun dialogue, sarcasm and snark can commence.

Ahh btw, The titles right before the name that indicates the PoV of the section isn't really serious as you've noticed. Just one way for me to add some humor.

 **==[Additional]==**

For my original stories - Blog: nukokon_word press _com  
If you want to support me – P a treon_com (slash)nukoko

Underscores are dots and no spaces!

Thank you and see you next chapter!


	3. Chapter 3: Red Reunion II

**Upated (08/20/18): Minor edits. Still a lot of missing periods, what. Removed answer to reviews portion, will move that to the blog.**

 **==[Beyond the Answer]==**

 **==[Red Reunion – EMIYA]==**

 ***Pinch* *Pinch***

A strong slap to the face, an uppercut to his jaw, a knee to his gut, maybe even a Gandr right to his face. If he was unluckier than usual, he'd be hit by every conceivable spell in the Tohsaka family Jewelcraft.

Those were the things he was expecting to receive the second Rin Tohsaka had slowly approached him right after giving her overly exuberant greeting.

So when she had stopped right in front of him and reached out her hand to his face, he had simply closed his eyes and braced himself for whatever physical punishment his old friend would dole out.

If there was ever any existing being who had the right to be angry and punish him, it was the one standing right before him.

 _'She is no doubt involved with my summoning into this world. If anything, I wouldn't be surprised if she was the central reason.'_

There was a lot of things to discuss. A lot of questions that needed answering. The mere fact that his version of Rin Tohsaka was standing right in front of him was already worth a few hours of discussion, if not more.

Right now though, they had to get this out of the way.

 ***Pinch* *Pinch***

However, despite all expectations, instead of the physical punishment he was supposed to receive, Rin had begun to silently caress his face.

"…"

He took a deep breathe and kept his eyes closed. His friend was most likely just preparing his face so that it would be in the absolute best condition for a slap.

 ***Pinch* *Pinch***

 ***Pat* *Pat* *Pat***

Rin didn't stop. This time, Ophis suddenly appeared sitting on his shoulders and begun patting his head.

 _'Why does she never make this easy? Getting hit by her strongest spell would've made this a lot simpler. This probably won't end until I do something.'_

Considering the personality of his old friend, she would stay there caressing his face for hours until he showed some kind of reaction... or until she got fed up.

"…. Rin."

"Yeah?"

He opened his eyes to see Rin cutely titling her head with a blank face, not even bothering to release her gentle touch on his cheeks.

Oddly enough, he couldn't detect a hint of anger or irritation in the eyes of the usually feisty magus.

In all honesty, that realization just made him more tense.

"If you're going to slap me, I suggest you do it now. I'd like to move on to the _'serious discussion'_ part of this meeting please."

He went for a provocation, making sure his face was as serious as possible for better effect. After all, if there was anything that made Rin Tohsaka fume, it was when he acted smart, sarcastic, insensitive, or a combination of all three, right after she found out he had done something stupid.

 _'Right about now, she should be taking a step back and lighting her crest up...'_

Instead...

"Oh...? Shirou... don't tell me..."

Her blank face then turned into an impish grin. He could've sworn he saw her eyes actually glint.

"Did you... become a masochist after becoming a Counter Guardian?!"

The only appropriate response he could think of was to give Rin his best 'what kind of mind altering spell are you on' look he could make.

 _'… Looks like she doesn't have any intention of getting serious until I play along.'_

Then and there he decided, that if this was the game his friend was going to play, he'd play along and beat her at it.

"Why yes Rin. I have, in fact, become a _complete Masochist_. Actually, I've always been one. Why do you think I took up 'Hero of Justice' as my life calling?"

"Well... I always thought you did that 'Hero of Justice' thing because saving people was some kind of _reaaaally_ weird fetish of yours..."

"That's also true. The grail war and apostle hunts was a _wet dream come true_ for me honestly."

The amount of sarcasm dripping from his words could have filled an Olympic-sized swimming pool.

This was something they've done countless times in the past. They would mock, insult, ridicule, and generally tease each other for the heck of it.

The name of the game was to make the opponent falter. The first one to react strongly was the loser.

On Rin's part, her grin only grew more mischievous.

"Really now... if you were so masochistic, you could've just told me you know? I would have been fully willing to play the dominatrix in those sessions of ours!"

Unfortunately for him, despite the fact that he's prepared to fight the teasing war, the very first attack launched was already devastating.

 _'What...?'_

He very carefully didn't allow any shock to reflect on both his face and body language.

 _'Sessions? I can't sense any lies in that statement but I don't recall anything of that sort...'_

They were close friends when he was still mortal but never did it go beyond that, at least until he told her he made the contract with the world and their relationship broke off. Though even when they stopped directly communicating, Rin had never withdrew any other support she provided to him.

However, as far as he remembered, their relationship shouldn't have ever crossed a line where the phrase 'with benefits' was ever added to the word 'friends'.

 _'Why do I feel like I'm failing to remember something very crucial here?'_

"Rin, I have no right to stop you from imagining whatever you want whenever you get lonely during the night but I would appreciate it if you kept that to yourself."

"Huh...?"

The response Rin had was unexpectedly, genuine confusion.

"Shirou... are you telling me you don't remember?"

Even when he did attempt to do so, he was drawing up a blank. However, the feeling of missing some very important information was slowly growing worse.

"Ahh... well I guess that's normal, considering how long ago that was. Well try and think back... On my 21st birthday, when we were in London together, I told you something about trying out a spell I made on you, right?"

"Yes... I recall that part. We went into your workshop. You made a magic circle on the ground, had me sit in the middle and made me drink something."

"… and? Do you remember how that ended?"

He was still learning and forming the foundations of his Tracing during those times. He had been working as a freelance mercenary while Rin had been continuing her studies in the Clocktower.

He could vaguely recall having promised Rin that she'd be allowed to make one wish that he'd do in exchange for forgetting about her birthday due to a long and drawn out mission. They would often refer to those kinds of promises as 'Command Seals' as an inside joke.

Said wish was being made into a guinea pig for one of the spells she was trying out for her studies in Formalcraft.

 _'It was... right, it was a spell designed to alter the mindset of those within the range of the magic circle.'_

The memories slowly came back to him.

 _'She wanted to see if that could allow someone to go beyond the limits provided by their element and origin but...'_

As expected of a new spell that was complicated from the set-up to the intended effect, it didn't work the way it was intended to.

 _'Ah... damn it...'_

Rin had messed up at some point in the formulation of the spell as well as the creation of the drink. This, combined with his luck, made the effect of the spell turn into a completely different and weird direction.

To put the effect as simply as possible...

It amplified one's libido.

Despite himself and despite his mastery in keeping his face as stony as possible, even he couldn't keep his it straight at the moment.

"Yep, it's exactly the way you're remembering it. I'll be honest here... That night might have been my first but it was damn well the _best sex I've ever had_."

Never one to miss an opportunity, Rin had mercilessly and unforgiving made sure to take advantage of momentary lapse.

"You _were a beast_. We did it _for hours_. I mean, that thing only increased our libido, it didn't increase stamina..."

According to his newly returned memory, the spell wasn't exactly something that forced the affected targets to have sex. It only increased their desire to do it.

After all, even with an increased desire for it, there was no way either of them would've had sex with some random stranger or with someone they disliked.

The morning after was arguably the most awkward one he'd ever had. Rin, being weaker than him physically, was barely able to move and he had to take care of her the whole day after.

Of course, it only took roughly an hour and some delicious food before Rin trampled on the awkward atmosphere and began teasing him for his 'sexual prowess', although she was furiously blushing at the same time.

"It's actually a pity. If you ever actually did get a girlfriend, you would've made _her very happy_."

He was only slightly grateful for his darkened skin tone.

Having lost any ability to retort, fully knowing it was only going to get worse if he attempted to, he simply remained silent.

"Of course... that was better for me in the long run. After all, _I have my needs_ ~"

There was also the fact that he was struggling with the sudden flow of memories of their 'sessions' that they occasionally had after that night.

The spell involved, which Rin had crudely called [Happy birthday], may or may not have been involved a few times afterwards.

 _ ***Cough* *Cough***_

"Alright. Enough, _you win_. Can we get to the serious part of this discussion already?"

Not exactly willing to allow his friend to continue, he deliberately coughed and changed the subject with as much dignity as he could muster.

Fortunately, Rin was already satisfied and went along with it.

"Ahhhh~ damn that felt good. Great to know we can still do that even after everything... but well, before we move on to serious business, could you do me a favor and lean towards me while closing your eyes, _please_?"

He let out a sigh and summarily ignored the cute and pleading pout she had on as she made that request.

" _Shirou~!_ "

She called out her name sweetly and caressed his face and then...

 ***BAM* *BAM* *BAM***

 ***SHORYUKEN!***

 ***Pat* *Pat* *Pat***

Rin gave him a right straight to the face, then a short left uppercut to the jaw, followed up by a knee to the gut, then finished off with a strange jumping uppercut to his jaw again, that actually made him reel back.

Ophis, who had never left her seat that was his shoulders since the start, patted his head, as if to comfort him.

However, being a hardened warrior that could take on other heroes of the grail and even win, he simply shrugged off the blows.

"Satisfied?"

"What in the name of the god be damned Root is your body made out of...?!"

Rin on the other hand, was rubbing her right hand, with her face twisted in pain.

Seeing this as an opportunity to pay her back for the earlier teasing, he made sure to reply as casually as possible.

"Swords. What else?"

 **==[Beyond the Answer]==**

 **==[The Devil in Red – Sirzechs Lucifer]==**

"According to our information, the they are currently in Shinjuku."

"I see... so the Ouroboros Dragon and the Red Guardian have been spotted. Are we aware of their activities?"

Within the a large and exquisitely furnished room, one if not the most powerful devil stared seriously on the documents that his white haired maid had given him.

"Mercenary work, monster extermination in particular. The Red Guardian had made contact with the Youkai-faction and had been contracted into eliminating stray Devils and dangerous youkai that have gone out of control in the area."

"I see... and the Ouroboros Dragon?"

"She has taken no action. The only one actively moving is the Red Guardian himself, the Ouroboros seem to be content in following after him."

Two months ago, crucial information regarding the sudden appearance of the Ouroboros Dragon had arrived to their side.

Although Ophis wasn't outright dangerous due to her passive nature, it was always important that they kept track of her whereabouts so they can be prepared if she ever takes action for whatever reason.

They weren't able to perfectly track her, considering the fact that she could very easily hide any trace of her powers and they had no one capable of keeping up with the second strongest being in existence, but anytime her whereabouts were made known, they still made sure to try.

However, this time a peculiar detail was added to the reports of her whereabouts.

Apparently, the Ouroboros Dragon had found a companion.

"Emiya. No other name provided. A self-proclaimed wandering mercenary who wields a brand of magic that goes beyond what we know..."

He had strange physical feature and the little bit of history they were able to unearth didn't exactly help them in deciphering the puzzle that was Emiya.

They've gotten to calling Emiya as 'The Red Guardian' based on his appearance. The red coat the man wore was one with holy properties so they had originally thought that the Church had made their move.

However, as it turned out, he wasn't an exorcist and there were no existing records that could tell them anything about the vestments, despite the fact that they should've had a complete and expansive database on anything with holy properties.

On a side note, the 'Guardian' part of the man's title was due to the fact that he was observed to be taking caring of the Ouroboros.

He actually let out a laugh when he received information about the two casually eating in a street stall, with the Red Guardian wiping the Ouroboros Dragon's mouth after eating, like a parent would do for their child.

"We've yet to determine anything else aside from the fact that he's a skilled swordsman and is capable of summoning swords of great power, based on the reports on his encounter with Holy Maiden of the church and his battle with Diodora Astaroth."

"Heh... well considering the fact that he's weakened the Old Satan Faction, I'm inclined to be grateful of him. However... he's still an unknown variable."

"It seems he had made contact with the holder of Zenith Tempest, exorcist Dulio Gesualdo. However, it was nothing more than an exchange of information."

"I'm assuming the Church is still trying to recruit him?"

"Yes. However, we have confirmed that he had made another refusal when Gesualdo had remade the offer in their last meeting."

Within only three months, the man had somehow been involved in several incidents, both major and minor ones. He had already encountered most of the major factions and had attracted a good amount of attention, largely due to the fact that the Ouroboros Dragon was intent on following him.

In that time, the Church had already made a move to recruit the man. Considering the fact that the man had proven capable of taking down a pure-blooded High Class devil alone and was in possession of a holy vestment, it wasn't strange for the church to make a move quickly.

The elimination of Diodora Astaroth had actually set the Devil side on edge for a bit, however when reports regarding the Red Guardian's encounter with Serafall Leviathan had reached them, they were at least able to determine that the man wasn't a direct enemy of the Devils.

"Sirzechs... do you plan on recruiting him to the Devil's side?"

"Hmmm... to be honest, my instincts are telling me that he won't become an enemy to our side unless we give him a reason to. In fact I don't think this Emiya will be inclined to join any faction for that matter."

"However, the possibility still exists."

"Yes... our information isn't complete. There's no real telling what he'd do, especially with the Ouroboros Dragon following him around."

He took out a separate report, one that was directly written by Serall herself that was given to him a month ago.

 _[A Hero of Justice has arrived!]_

 _Hey, hey, Levi-tan here reporting her findings on the Red Guardian Emiya-chan~!_

 _This magical girl had encountered the infamous Red swordsman and the cute Ouroboros dragon during her excursion to the magical girl convention in Kyoto!_

 _As this magical girl was interested in the movements of Emiya-chan, she had made sure to observe him as he had taken down stray Devils and crazed youkai, saved and protected innocent lives, and made innocent young maiden fall in love with him!_

 _Having taken a deeper interest after her observation, this magical girl had decided to approach the sinful Emiya-chan while showcasing a bit of her power!_

 _The meeting had concluded peacefully and this magical girl had determined that Emiya-chan, despite his clear wariness of our kind, holds no personal vendetta nor desire to fight us unless we do any unsavory things~!_

 _Ah, the wariness he displays towards us seem to apply to all other non-humans and especially magic-users. It seems that Emiya-chan is careful around anyone that holds power and treats them equally._

 _Based on what this magical girl had observed, it seems that Emiya-chan is the kind of person that would help people in need. He's the type that would fight to protect the weak and oppressed no matter how strong the opponent._

 _Hence, a Hero of Justice! A very powerful one at that. Emiya-chan may easily be Ultimate-class or even Maou-class._

 _This concludes her report. Levi-tan signing off! Yay~!_

 _P.S. The Ouroboros Dragon-chan was really cute! I wanted to take her home!_

 _P.P.S. If Emiya-chan gets recruited into the Devil's side, this magical girl would like to have him make a guest appearance on her show!_

 _ **P.P.P.S. *Levi-tan found traces of movement from the Old Satan Faction. It seems they've transported some resources in here. Further investigation is advised***_

Sirzechs had to use some magic to reveal the very last post script. Essentially all reports from Serafall followed the same format. The truly vital pieces of information in her reports were usually hidden or obscured by powerful magic.

Let it be known that despite Serafall Leviathan's personality, she was still a Maou and had never ignored her duties and responsibilities.

"I certainly would like him to join our side. It's unlikely for that to happen but Grayfia..."

"Understood."

With a curtsy, the white haired maid disappeared, no doubt making her preparations.

"A 'Hero of Justice' huh..."

First was the appearance of the Red Dragon Emperor. Now the appearance of the Red Guardian.

It certainly was getting rather hectic.

 **==[Beyond the Answer]==**

 **==[Author's Corner]==**

Hey, hey! Thanks for reading this chapter as well! From here on in, I'll call this thing the Author's corner since I'll put stuff in here that wouldn't really qualify it as 'notes'.

Okay, here's the current time-line for the events that have been revealed in the three months EMIYA had spent on the DxD world, in case the details revealed on the latter half caused confusion.

 **[The 3 Month Time-line]**

Month 1: Summoning, Meeting with Ophis. Understanding of the world they're in.  
Month 2: Encounter with Asia Argento and Diodora Astaroth.  
Month 3: First time meeting Dulio Gesualdo and Griselda Quatra. Encounter with Serafall in Kyoto.

 **==[Additional]==**

For my original stories - Blog: nukokon_word press _com  
If you want to support me – P a treon_com (slash)nukoko

Underscores are dots and no spaces!

Thank you and see you next chapter!


	4. Chapter 4: Red Reunion III

**Update (08/21/2018):** Minor edits likely still missed a lot of stuff. Removed top A/N and answer to reviews section. The latter will be added seen in the blog in the future. Omake section also removed, will be moved to the blog.

 **==[Beyond the Answer]==**

 **==[Red Reunion Part II - EMIYA]==**

"You're an idiot."

That was first sentence his friend, Rin Tohsaka, had spoken the second he had finished relaying his experiences as a Counter Guardian as well as the most recent iteration of his ill-thought plan to escape his fate.

It was honestly the only response he could imagine she would give.

"You're seriously an idiot."

She repeated, this time accompanying the statement with an exasperated sigh. She shifted in her position and reached for another doughnut from the box beside them.

After their snarky little reunion, Rin had brought out a pile of snacks and some drinks from a paper bag and ordered him to sit against the wall. She promptly grabbed Ophis from his shoulders, held her tightly, then sat snugly between his legs.

She had made him talk for the next hour or so after that.

"Well... I expected this much at least, so no point in getting angry. At least not until I find a way to punish you without breaking my fists. So for now, I'll settle with this..."

She reached out to his cheeks and pinched it hard. Then poked it several times.

"There. Punishment dealt."

"Such a cruel punishment. One I would forever remember for the rest of eternity. You've outdone yourself this time Rin."

To show respect for his friend and was by no means an attempt to mock her, he had pretended that the punishment actually hurt.

"Hah. Talk it up now, when I get to the actual one, you'll be eating those words!"

"That line would be a lot more convincing if you didn't have doughnut crumbs and cream on your lips and cheeks."

Seeing the mess on her face, he casually grabbed a napkin and wiped both her and Ophis' face. Both of the girls didn't even complain, they allowed him to do it like it was simply the natural order of things for them.

It actually felt so natural that he was only slightly disturbed.

"Well let's put that aside for now..."

She then took out a small palm sized treasure chest. She carefully opened it and a burst of light immediately covered the expanse of the room.

When he looked around, he realized that the whole area was now more spacious. the furnishings were different and were in fact more similar to Rin's old room in the Tohsaka mansion.

He could also feel that they were in a bounded field.

He gave Rin a questioning look.

"Artificial space. Second Magic stuff. We'll get to that sometime but that topic isn't important at the moment... let's first move on to the serious stuff. First thing's first, how's your body and your magecraft Shirou?"

The shift in her tone and the slight tension in her body was enough to tell him that his friend had finally gotten serious. That meant no further jokes, teasing, or snark would be tolerated.

He made sure to adjust accordingly and reserved the question about the 'artificial space' for later.

"For the latter, normal. I've seen no significant changes when Tracing. The rules that govern my magecraft had also not been affect in the slightest. This also applies to the summoning of my Reality Marble."

He had spent the last few months extensively experimenting with his magecraft, even going as far as to summon his reality marble during battle.

It was easily clear that the world they were currently in was significantly different from any of the versions of his original world, so it was a given that the mechanics and rules that govern his Tracing may have changed as well.

To his surprise however, the new world had done nothing. At the very least, he had yet to find any significant differences.

"For the former however... that, I'd like to discuss in depth. Rin, exactly what the hell is this body?"

He'd already died a long time ago. The only thing left of him was his 'Soul' that had been recorded in the Throne of Heroes for the sake of serving as Alaya's eternal lap dog.

Taking Heroic Spirits for example, the grail would need to 'materialize' their souls into the physical world.

Such a form was only temporary. Nothing more than high concentrations of mana. A mass of mana that had become shaped by the soul that imparted the history and form necessary.

When using this form, they were nothing more than powerful ghosts capable of interacting with the physical world but never truly being part of it. Once the prana or mana sustaining them would run out, they would dissipate along with it.

However his current body was different.

 _It wasn't just a temporary vessel made of mana._

 _It was an actual legitimate physical body._

With his inability to enter 'Spirit Form' and the fact that he was sustaining himself in the current world without any obvious anchor, he was for all intents and purposes, **alive.**

"I see... I was honestly worried that your magecraft would be somehow warped in any way but it's good that it was compatible with this world. As for your body..."

Rin closed her eyes, gathering her thoughts.

"Well to put it simply... it's a _created surrogate body_ capable of housing your 'soul'. It's made specifically to be compatible with it."

The problem with surrogate bodies, as she began to explain, was that compatibility with a soul was suspect.

When the soul and the surrogate body didn't match, it would either result in the ability of the soul to manipulate the body or in certain cases, even if the soul and the body are successfully bound, the body itself could still be strained and destroyed given that the soul is powerful enough to do so.

This was why 'Heroic Spirits' in the Holy Grail Wars were never provided with physical bodies and instead are materialized into the world itself.

"Since you're technically a 'heroic spirit', any run of the mill body would probably shatter if we attempt to bind your soul to it. Even an artificial body like a puppet made by the Touko Aozaki herself wouldn't suffice..."

Though he didn't have a true legend to his name, he was still considered to be among the ranks of 'Heroic Spirits', method of ascension put aside.

"A human vessel itself could also work by the way... but I'm pretty damn sure neither of us would even approve of that considering the implications, not to mention the difficulty of finding a human being capable of actually matching that soul of yours."

The fact that he was a bearer of a Reality Marble would already mean that only another version of Shirou Emiya would qualify as a vessel, yet even then it was unlikely that it would work.

"So the only real solution left was to create an actual living body..."

"...and exactly how did you accomplish that? Last I checked something of that level is definitely within the territory of the Third Magic."

The Third Magic, Heaven's Feel, would be the only thing in his knowledge capable of achieving such a feat. After all, what Rin was implying was that he was technically 'resurrected'.

He wasn't 'materialized' like most instances. This body was truly his own.

"Well... to explain that, it's best we get back to your magecraft. Here's a question Shirou, why hasn't your magecraft been affected at all?"

He gave it some thought.

His magecraft was relatively simple to understand. His 'Tracing' was simply the recreation of blades that were recorded in 'Unlimited Blade Works'.

His prana would serve as the foundation. Then everything from the concept it was born from to the entire history of its life would be imparted within his reality marble. The blade would then be brought into the world afterwards.

So exactly what differences should he be seeing supposing the rules of the world were changed?

 ***Poke** * ***Poke** * ***Poke** *

"Hey hey, don't leave me here."

Rin playfully poked his cheeks to break him out of his thoughts.

"Ahaha, sorry, I didn't actually expect you to think so deeply. Anyway, there area number of reasons why your magecraft and the rules that govern it haven't changed."

Without him noticing, Rin was now wearing a pair of glasses. She also put another pair on Ophis.

"In the first place, your 'tracing' itself is based on your 'Unlimited Blade Works'. That reality marble of yours is like a personal record you bring with your soul no matter where you go. So its a given that no outside influences would affect the process of your magecraft itself."

In which case, it would matter in what world he was summoned in. He would be able to utilize his magecraft regardless for as long as he has access to his prana.

"With that, the only thing left to understand is how your 'traced' weapons interact with the world. Originally, any noble phantasm you've traced deteriorated and eventually disappeared right?"

Since he recreates the history of the blade itself, they weren't simple copies, they were for all intents and purposes _considered_ the **'reproduction of the original'** and hence creates a contradiction _within the eyes of the 'World'._

That was an important distinction. If someone where to somehow be able to perfectly recreate another 'Caladbolg', it would simply be a **'production of a copy'** since it _doesn't recreate the history_. In this case, the 'World' would consider it a new and unique existence instead.

"Originally, it was the presence of the 'World' that causes this deterioration..."

The 'World' referred mostly to the planet itself and the collective consciousness 'Gaia' and 'Alaya'.

"However, neither 'Gaia' nor 'Alaya' had formed in the world we're currently in. So with that, why do your traced weapons still deteriorate like normal?"

This time she leaned back and rested the back of her head on his shoulder. She then turned to look at him, this time expecting him to give an answer.

Fortunately he already understood what she was implying. He really didn't want to relive the old days where she would scold him for not answering correctly. He was just too damn old for that.

"I see... that's because 'Gaia' and 'Alaya' are simply what had manifested in our original world and not necessarily in others. So you're saying the world we're in right now had manifested its own collective consciousness?"

"Yep. Well technically every world populated with living beings, sentient or not, can and will eventually develop a collective will and consciousness. What differs is in how they manifest."

She paused and took a drink from a juice box before continuing.

"In most cases, what forms is pretty similar to our original world. What drives most versions is the collective will to survive and drive for continued existence... However, for the one we're in now, it's significantly different."

For some reason, he could feel her hold on Ophis tighten. The clear indication of mischief from her face started to worry him.

"What formed wasn't a collective will to survive and exist. What formed was a **collective desire** for something. What's more, it even took on a physical form!"

"A physical form? As in something like Alaya taking on a physical form to interact with humans?"

That sent chills down his spine. He really didn't want to imagine the horror that would cause if it ever came to pass.

"Well I can guess what you're thinking from that face of yours but don't worry. After all, if Alaya would take on a physical form, I'm sure it wouldn't nearly be as cute as Ophis-chan here."

She shifted her position, turning sideways, and lifted up Ophis. She then proceeded to cutely press her face onto the dragon girl and smiled at him.

"..."

"Yep. Exactly what you're thinking right now. Zero and Infinity. Stagnation and Progress. Overwhelming power that could make anything and everything happen. The collective desire of every living being took these concepts and assumed a physical form. From there, the Dragon Gods Great Red, and Ophis were born."

There was a pregnant silence that followed. He slowly turned his head to the cute dragon girl in question.

Feeling his stare, Ophis, who was still eyeing the snacks, stared back as well.

Her face was expressionless but somehow, someway, he could feel like she was giving him a very smug look.

"..."

He continued to stare at what was the physical manifestation of the collective desire of living beings in their current world and tried to think of exactly what he wanted to do.

"Ophis..."

Letting out another sigh, he slowly reached out.

He then proceeded to pinch her cheeks. Making the dragon girl squirm a bit.

They were absurdly soft.

"Haaah... I have no idea whether to feel worried or relieved that the collective desire of this world is in the form of an innocent little girl with insanely soft cheeks..."

Did that make everyone in this world some kind of lolicon?

Was that the world he found himself in?

If so he wouldn't hesitate to deploy his weapons and commit unspeakable acts of violence.

"Hey, don't go into your own world there. Don't just start ignoring me!"

Hearing Rin starting to file her complaints, he also began pinching her cheeks as well.

Strangely enough, she seemed fine with it.

"I'm guessing Ophis was the one responsible for creating the body I'm using now?"

"...Hmm? Oh no, Ophis-chan wasn't the one responsible, it was the other one. The Great Red was the one responsible for the creation of the body you're using."

"Great Red..."

A sudden surge of power came from the usually passive Ophis. One powerful enough to shake the bounded field they were in.

"Calm down you idiot, wipe your face."

He spoke with exasperation as he took another napkin to clean up the grand mess on Ophis' face.

The whole show of power would have been threatening but he'd already spent three months with the girl and he found himself unwilling to categorize her as any kind of threat.

That and chocolate crumbs on Ophis face was doing a fine job of making her look like a kid who just found out their Halloween candy was eaten by someone else.

"Ah, she doesn't like Great Red. Something about stealing her home or something. Kinda similar to Gaia and Alaya actually."

"Haaah... alright. Let's put all that aside for now. I have a feeling I'll just get a migraine if I hear about it. I still have a lot of questions but right now I want to know something first..."

He knew what she was here for. However, he wanted to make absolutely sure that he was correct.

This was actually the first and foremost question he wanted to ask but he wanted to ask it at the proper moment.

"Rin... _why_ are you here? What is all this for? For what reason did you do all this?"

This time, it was Rin's turn to let out a sigh.

She placed Ophis off to the side and got on her knees. She grabbed his head firmly and made him face up to her.

" _Why_ , you ask?"

She slowly lowered her face and brought it close. She didn't stop until their foreheads were touching.

"I only have one reason Shirou."

They stared each other in the eyes and he was able to see it clearly.

 _Unending determination. A flame of passion. An unbreakable will._

He was staring into the eyes of someone that would go through hell and beyond to get what they want.

Then and there he knew that there was _nothing in existence_ that could stop the girl he was staring at.

" **To save you."**

He faltered with just those three words.

He already knew that that was probably the case but he wasn't willing to simply accept it.

"Rin..."

He wanted to tell her it was useless. He wanted to tell her that there was no point to what she was doing, that he didn't even have the right to be saved, that it was his fault why he had gotten to this point in the first place.

However just one look at Rin and he already knew how she would answer.

"I'll save you. I'll wash away all your regrets. I'll take away all your pain and suffering. I'll do anything and everything for that purpose. This time Shirou, **I'll make you live and help you find happiness.** "

...

...

...

They stayed like that for several minutes before he decided that it was getting only slightly awkward.

So in an attempt to break the tension he decided that this was the only opportunity he was ever going to get.

"You're an idiot."

For all the time they've spent together, that was probably the first time he's ever been given a chance to say such a thing to his friend.

"Not as much as you. It was your fault I was infected in the first place. Look, now we're both down with a bad case of terminal idiocy."

He was hoping Rin would finally draw back so they could resume... a more normal position however, like most times, his hopes were crushed.

"So... do you intend to stay like this for the rest of the day?"

"Maybe. I like this position. It lets me look at your eyes up close. They're pretty nice."

Seeing as his friend seemed to be intent on keeping their position, he decided to provide a more logical reason to break the position.

"You're on your knees. If you keep this up you'll have a hard time standing later."

"It's fine, I've gotten enough practice from all those sessions we had back then."

"I'm starting to wonder if mastering the Second Magic has somehow made you even more of a pervert than you were in the past..."

"The Second Magic doesn't make anyone a pervert. _A dry spell spanning a few centuries though?_ Now that get's a lady pretty perverted..."

"Rin, I think we both need to get over the leftover emotional baggage first before we get on with any sort of physical activity."

" _We just did._ A few seconds ago. Weren't you paying attention?"

"A single moment does not qualify for any sort of proper closure. Seriously, do you not even feel the slightest bit awkward with the idea?!"

" _Nope._ "

To be perfectly clear, he wasn't honestly against the idea.

It was more of the fact that neither of them knew what kind of relationship they had at the moment and jumping to physical intimacy wasn't really the best of ideas. Especially considering the fact that they didn't even have a good definition of their relationship when he was still mortal.

"Rin. I'm sure we need to come to an understanding on what we are. So first, it's best if we talk and flesh things out..."

"I'm all for it. I'm sure _intimately fleshing things out_ will ensure we have a _deep understanding of each other._ Good thinking Shirou."

Unfortunately for him it seemed like Rin wasn't joking in any way.

He could physically overpower her. That was easy enough to do... however refusing like that might legitimately break whatever fragile ground their relationship was standing on right now.

However, there was still a ray of hope. In the form of a jet-black innocent girl beside them.

"Rin, Ophis is in here-"

When he looked at the supposed ray of hope, said ray of hope was simply giving him a thumbs and a nod of approval.

"I wasn't _asking for approval_ damn it!"

"She's old as civilization of this world Shirou. She probably knows more positions than us even..."

"Wait, Rin-"

 **"Shut up."**

 **==[Beyond the Answer]==**

 **==[The Successor of the Will - Cáo Cāo]==**

"So we've arrived. Is this were you felt the anomaly Georg?"

"Yes. I can feel something strange. I can sense the presence of an Artificial Space nearby."

On top of the roof of a certain high-rise building stood three figures.

One of them was a man with short black hair, wearing a strange combination of a Gakuran and ancient Chinese attire. He had a feral smile on his face, one that showed how excited he was at their current findings.

Besides was his bespectacled companion Georg, who was wearing a Gakuran but decided to pair with a robe that made him appear as a mage of sorts. Unlike his companion, he was far more wary in comparison.

"Cao Cao, is this really fine? We still need to make further preparations for the operation in Tokyo. I know you've gotten very interested with the Red Guardian and he does have our target... but is it really wise to provoke them now?"

"Ophis is our target and we need more information about her Red Guardian regardless. He could be a potential ally, if rumors of him being human ring true. Not to mention it would make getting Ophis significantly easier... however if he's an enemy..."

"I'm sure you're wishing for the latter."

"Heh. You say that but haven't you been uncharacteristically excited since the appearance of that artificial space Georg?"

"Ah... I can't refute that one. As far as I can tell, it's entirely different than any dimensional spell of this world..."

They had no intentions of approaching the Red Guardian and their target Ophis originally. In fact, they didn't actually know until they investigated further that the two were present in the area after Georg had detected a strange artificial space that formed.

"Now, to sate both our curiosities... why don't we pay the Red Guardian and our target a visit?"

 **==[Beyond the Answer]==**

 **==[Author's Corner]==**

Yes. They did.

No. Ophis is not as innocent as she looks. She's travelled every corner of the world. _She's seen things._ Yes, Ophis and Great Red are indeed the local manifestations of collective wills of the DxD verse for this fic.

That's the fist major revelation of the fic... I actually kind wonder if I should have made that more grand instead of nonchalantly revealing it...

 **==[Additional]==**

For my original stories - Blog: nukokon_word press _com  
If you want to support me – P a treon_com (slash)nukoko

Underscores are dots and no spaces!

Thank you and see you next chapter!


	5. Chapter 5: Red Reunion IV

**Update (08/21/2018):** Minor edits likely still missed a lot of stuff. Removed top A/N and answer to reviews section. The latter will be added seen in the blog in the future. Might separate this into two chapters in the future.

 **==[Beyond the Answer]==**

 **==[Red Reunion's Epilogue – Rin]==**

The warmth I was feeling made me rather euphoric. It was a strange sensation, something I didn't think I was missing until I've experienced it.

How long has it been since I've felt this kind of warmth?

I've had the chance to meet version after version of Shirou Emiya. In fact I've met so many that I came to the thought that when the time to meet my version finally came, I might not even be able to tell him apart from every other version I've met.

It was a small fear that I've always felt in the deepest and darkest corners of my mind and heart. One that always reared its ugly head whenever I made preparations for Shirou's summoning.

If I was being completely honest, when I was waiting in this small apartment room, counting down the seconds it took for him to appear, hoping to every sorcery that I'd be able to tell that it was really my version of Shirou, that small fear started to encompass every fiber of my being, devouring every sense of anticipation and excitement I could muster.

… That's why when he did appear before me, I felt really, _really_ stupid.

It was an overwhelming rush of emotion. After so long, it felt like I was just about ready to breakdown then and there. I was only barely able to keep my face straight and manage a smile.

 _'That's Shirou.'_

That thought repeated in my head like a broken record. The sense of relief knowing that I could easily tell this was the Shirou I've always known made me feel like a giant weight was lifted off my shoulder.

My Shirou was an idiot. I was sure that among every version of Shirou Emiya in every single parallel world that exists, my version of Shirou was the largest idiot there was.

Even if a million Shirou Emiyas were in the same room together, I became confident I could pick my version out easily.

 ***Tug* *Tug***

 _'Ah... fucking damn it. Those insensitive idiots really know how to ruin the moment.'_

I was broken out of my reverie by our necessary but very unwanted visitors. I could feel a sensation akin to a hand pulling at the end of my hair. It wasn't enough to cause any pain but it was enough to cause a slight level of discomfort.

It was the hero faction, once again resuming their attempts to break through my artificial space.

They've been at it for a while... and since the timing wasn't right _and_ I was too busy _carefully_ examining if Shirou's body was made without mistakes, I've ignored them.

It was starting to get really annoying at this point. Didn't they know not to disturb people when they were busy having fun?

 ***Tug* *Tug***

 _'Haaaaah... just wait there quietly until I call for you...'_

It was essentially impossible for them to break through due to various reasons.

The artificial space I created was one that combines the concepts of the "Mirror World" and "Spatial Distortion".

Both concepts where born out of the Second Magic. The former was concerned with the creation of a space that superimposes itself on a designated area and emulates every detail of it, while the latter allowed for adjustments be made in terms of the area and volume of objects that were placed inside the space.

That combination of concepts allowed for a creation of a space that was larger than the designated area as well as the freedom of alteration of the objects placed inside it.

It was essentially a perspective trick, very similar to the "Ames Room", one where the World itself serves as the audience. Similar to how optical illusions can fool a human being into thinking an object can appear smaller or larger with visual cues, the World is being tricked into thinking the size of the area and the people inside are actually far larger and smaller respectively.

Of course, normally a spell of this scale was very sensitive. If it were performed in our original worlds, it would take a more complex approach to create since Gaia is a bit more difficult to deal with.

However in this world, the corrective properties of the World are far more lax and easier to circumvent... not to mention the local incarnation of Gaia is technically our ally.

 ***Tug* *Tug***

I could feel the sensation again. It's been occurring more frequently for the past hour. No doubt our visitors getting a bit more persistent in breaking through.

Despite the rising irritation I was feeling, I had no other choice but to keep ignoring it. The timing needs to be exact and I still haven't been able to detect the _presence of a particular observer_ I want through the bounded fields that I placed outside of the space.

Fortunately, as it stood, no one would be capable of breaking through since the aforementioned local incarnation of Gaia in this universe, Ophis herself, is currently empowering the artificial space.

As far as anyone is concerned, this artificial space was already considered to be a natural phenomena instead of a product of sorcery.

"Rin, any reason why you're still awake?"

Shirou's voice called out to me as I had my face buried in his chest. I made sure to breathe in deeply every now and-

… Wait, please don't be mistaken. Though that statement doesn't have any incorrect information, it makes me sound like I'm some kind of derange pervert that gets off on things like this.

I was simply the kind of person that liked close and intimate physical contact after doing the deed. Especially considering the fact that Shirou and I haven't been together for a long time...

There was definitely nothing strange with this and I definitely wasn't acting like some kind of innocent and hormonal teenage girl who was just reunited with her boyfriend.

Seriously, stop grinning, shut it or _I'll gandr your ass._

"Hnnnnn..."

For now I decided not to respond properly. We needed a bit more time and Shirou would probably force the issue too fast if he learned we actually had enemies knocking on our door for the past hour.

"Hmm..."

I turned my head slightly to look at our beloved third companion, Gaia-tan version two with added moe, Ophis-chan.

Bask in her cuteness everyone.

She had jet-black hair that was long enough to reach her lower body. She had long and pointed ears, not unlike those elves you hear about in folklore. She was rather small, and her grey eyes and face of absolute and unerring indifference betrayed the image of what would have been a cute little girl.

She was currently drinking some green tea that neither Shirou nor I brewed and was currently observing Shirou. Though her face was still the perfect picture of empty, it held a slight hint of contentment.

To be perfectly honest, though I had expected her to become attached to Shirou after some time together, I certainly wasn't expecting her to become this attached.

Well, Shirou's always had the supreme EX rank hidden ability to naturally attract the opposite gender since I've known him. Maybe it was fortunate that Ophis-chan had decided to take on a female body.

Giving a liberal interpretation, would this mean that the will of this universe's Earth itself has decided to side with Shirou?

Did Shirou actually manage to make the local incarnation of Gaia go _dere_ within such a short time span?

Was that ability of his somehow beyond EX rank already?!

Needless to say, I would need to force out every single minute detail from Shirou later. If he dares omit anything, it would be grounds for severe punishment that would designate him as my guinea pig for some Second Magic experiments for however long I decide.

That is of course, not because I was jealous or anything. It was simply a matter of protecting the morals of this world.

Had Shirou laid his hands on a being that takes on such a form, regardless of actual chronological age, then I would be remiss as a close friend not to help him get back from the correct path.

The correct path being the path wherein he prefers an elegant and well proportioned body whose three-sizes happen to perfectly coincide with mine.

 ***KSHHH***

Ah... _the fallen_ are here. Though it seems they need some time before they can get within range...

Time to move this along then unfortunately.

"Enemies..."

My reply elicited a deep sigh from Shirou for obvious reasons.

"... Enemies?"

"Enemies."

My confirmation elicited an ever deeper sigh. The small look of exasperation on his face made me want to smirk but I held it back.

Really now Shirou, didn't you know sighing like that lets out the happiness inside you? I'm already having a hard time making you happy and fulfilled, stop making my job harder.

"So exactly how long have these enemies been bothering you?"

Ah, I thought I hid it well enough but it looks like he noticed.

I'll give some plus points for paying attention to my condition despite the intimate physical exercise we were having.

"I sensed them right about the moment when I had you tie me up and pin me to the bed with swords..."

The famed Solomon Merry-go-round. Fine details omitted for the sake of our privacy and the fact that you people aren't ready for something that hardcore yet.

Come back when your age is at least three digits.

Though I was surprised at how well Shirou played his part on that little play of ours.

"So you're telling me that you noticed the presence of hostiles over an hour ago and thought it was a good idea not to say anything?"

We went at it for three hours in total for the those that were curious. Two lovely uninterrupted ones and another one with slight interference.

I'll have to make sure to _take out my grievances_ on our visitors later for that.

"Ophis-chan... reinforcing field... felt too good to care..."

"We really need to start discussing how these things need to go. Alright, get up you depraved witch, we need to greet the guests."

"Haaaaah..."

"Less groaning, more action. I don't care how strong this bounded field is, every second you give an enemy is more time for them to gain more information. Now get that lazy ass up."

Well as usual, Shirou's strict when it comes to these things.

Unfortunately, the fallen still aren't in the correct range... well, best to make use of the current situation to better understand Shirou's current taste.

Stalling and information gathering, two birds with one jewel.

"What about another round first~?"

I gave him the most angelic smile I could muster. There was no way he was going to agree, though on the off-chance he did, I might have to adjust my plans a bit...

"Rin... We're getting up and getting rid of the enemies first."

So you prefer the company of two men and a cat over me Shirou? That's really cruel you know. Do you prefer large bulging muscles to my soft and slender body?

Though I really want to start teasing him, now wouldn't be the time. For now to confirm my suspicions...

"I'll cosplay as saber?"

"..."

"..."

"..Why you think that will somehow help convince me absolutely baffles me."

From my adventures and encounters with other versions of Shirou Emiya, it was made clear to me that Saber had always been a special existence to them.

Within universes where the Fifth Grail War occurred and Saber became his servant, the memory of her summoning was always fondly and affectionately remembered no matter what kind of person or existence a Shirou Emiya becomes.

… and that slight pause in his response was rather telling. Well, that's to be expected at least. I'll have to explore that particular avenue some other time.

Thankfully, I did prefer materials for an accurate Saber cosplay just to be prudent.

Okay, best to confirm the next one.

"... Saber with _large_ breasts?"

The silence in the air and the even more exasperated face he had on combined with the fact that he looked at me like I've finally needed to be sent into a mental facility told me that he probably had no particular preference for large breasts.

Another expected result. The versions of Shirou Emiya that had that particular preference were mostly the ones that ended up with Sakura, or Rider, or both at the same time. Sometime, even Ayako was thrown in that combination.

Now that I think about it, I was pretty sure that that one alternate version of Shirou that somehow ended up with Irisviel also had that preference...

That particular universe was rather strange in and of itself. Illyasviel was even their daughter and Kiritsugu was the son instead. That version of the fourth war ended with a massive battle royale where Gilgamesh, Iskander, and Saber fought within Unlimited Blade Works in one epic clash.

A happy ending was reached, Irisviel and Maiya lived through the war and married Shirou, and Waver became a good friend of his. Illya was raised lovingly and Kiritsugu somehow ended up with Ayako.

Like I said, strange.

On a side note, that was one of the few disturbing times that Taiga-

"Rin. _Get up._ "

Looks like Shirou's had enough. However, we still need just a _few more minutes._

Time to confirm the last suspicion I have. After all, there were times when Shirou Emiya would get together _with Illya._

"Tch. Ophis-chan, back me up here!"

Was he a lolicon? That was an important question.

It would be ultimately insulting to me if he really was, considering the implications it had.

I made eye contact with Ophis-chan and attempted to silently convey my intent to her.

That glint in her eye told me that this might not be as easy as I thought it would be...

"... Price... Large Choco Butternut."

…. Hey. Little girl, are you honestly extorting me here?

Did you somehow see Shirou while there's a sale in the supermarket?

If she did then some of my extortion techniques that I had passed on to Shirou may have been adapted by this girl.

Tch. Fine, I'll play along for now. If I can get Ophis' cooperation, then this would make things significantly easier.

"I don't have any on me left! I'll buy you one later!"

"... Price update... Four large Choco Butternuts."

That was four times the original price! What the heck!?

I get that countless organizations could offer up every treasure in the world and it would still be ignored by the Dragon God and that Four Large Choco Butternuts were extremely cheap in comparison...

However the fact that it was still a four time increase on the original price hurts my pride as an expert jewel merchant, hoarder, pilferer, forger and extortionist.

"Ahh damn it, fine! Now pin Shirou down so we can get started!"

"... Physical labor costs added... total price is... A dozen Choco Butternuts."

That was three more times the root be damned current price. Where the breathing Akasha did she learn to think that extortion was okay?!

The fact that Shirou was clearly enjoying this wasn't helping me here. Don't be fooled by that serious look, I can sense his enjoyment through his eyes!

Fine, if these were how things were gonna be, then I'll make damn sure that Shirou suffers the most!

"Two boxes and you help out. It's time to confirm if this Shirou has any weird tendencies!"

"... Deal."

Heh. What are you going to do now Shirou?

Even with your current body allowing you to function as well as you would have been when summoned as my Servant in the Grail War, there was no way you could go against this world's incarnation of Gaia!

Wait, what's with that smirk?!

"Ophis. I'll make you doughnuts for the rest of week, for as much as our budget allows, if you turn Rin down."

 _Damn this cheating sword bastard._

I looked at Ophis and could already hear my plan crumbling into dust.

It was hard to spot but it was clear that Ophis was _showing_ signs of excitement. It was a rare dent on her usual image of pure indifference. Though that face of hers hadn't changed, it felt like her complexion was two shades lighter than it usually was.

That and I could basically see donuts in those eyes of hers. Quite an impressive feat there actually.

"... Cake. Two layers."

"I'll make it triple chocolate. Like the one I got you in that cafe."

"... Edible flowers."

"Sure."

"... Unlimited Blade Works?"

"Just the baked goods for now."

The exchange aside, exactly what was that sneaky request on Shirou's Reality Marble about? Did it have something to do with their current relationship?

No... never mind. First, I need to retake the reigns and overturn this current situation!

It was almost time, just a few seconds away, but my pride won't let me back down so easily!

"Oi. Ophis, we already have a deal here!"

"... I, have removed augmentations on the bounded field."

"Wait, waiiiit! I'll get you five boxes!"

"...The enemies must be addressed."

"Eight boxes! Final offer!"

"...I, shall await the cake."

Was this it? Was this the reason she's become so attached?!

Did he tame the Dragon God with delicious confectionery? Had his cooking and baking skills finally supersede the realm of human beings and entered a whole new league of its own?!

 ***KSHHHHHHH***

Tch … Well looks like the fallen are in position. I guess I'll have to withdraw for the moment, take note of all the important points, then ambush Shirou somewhere along the line when he isn't expecting it.

I'll definitely get all the details about their relationship later...

 **==[Beyond the Answer]==**

 **==[Ready for Battle - EMIYA]==**

He checked his own body and his circuits. It was a small habit he developed ever since being summoned into the current world, something to assure that he could go into battle without problems. He channeled some of his prana and concentrated, mentally chanting the words of his aria, imagining the world of steel and legend vividly appearing in his head.

 _'I am the bone of my sword...'_

It was the one prayer he would ever say

"Shirou, are you ready?"

Rin entered the door, already completely in her serious persona.

Unlike in their little reunion, she wasn't wearing her old red sweater and black skirt that she used to wear when the two of them were in high school. Instead, she was wearing a white long-sleeved button up shirt and black office skirt, her usual thigh high socks, and a red coat. Her hair was let down like how she usually had it in our time in London.

It had a more mature feel than what she was wearing earlier, no doubt a means of presenting herself better for our enemies.

Rin Tohsaka always was the type of person that liked to keep up appearances.

In contrast, EMIYA wore his usual red mantle.

"..."

Following next to her was Ophis, who's color scheme was completely changed. The sailor uniform she had on was now completely red, with a black collar and skirt, a yellow ribbon, and similar thigh high socks. Like Rin, the atmosphere around had changed significantly. She felt more somber and subdued compared to just a few minutes ago.

Looking at the three of them, he felt like Rin wanted all of them to have a similar color scheme. In armies, that was usually done to foster a sense of unity between a group,

 _'In this case however, she probably just wants us to be more easily recognized as a unit.'_

It was a statement more than anything else. One that meant that the Dragon God, the Red Guardian, and Rin Tohsaka were comrades that had each other's back.

On a side note, Rin didn't need a title. Her name was frightening enough to those who knew her.

"Shirou, instead of dismissing the artificial space, I'll be expanding it instead. One of our enemies specialize in the creation of artificial space so it's best to keep the playing field on our side."

Thinking back, Rin was never the kind of person to ignore enemies unless she was completely and absolutely assured of the situation.

Which meant that Rin had already expected the arrival of their enemies. Not only that, she knew the exact identity and even the abilities of said enemies.

"Looks like she's playing the mastermind of the game. However unfortunate that is for me."

If that truly was Rin's intention, then he and every other sentient being currently existing in the current world were going to be tap dancing in her palms if she had her way.

He forced down a sigh.

 _'Save me and make me happy? What kind of delusion has the Second Magic given you Rin?'_

If he had listed every reason why that was both illogical, idiotic, and completely impossible, he would probably have enough to reach the moon.

 _He wasn't meant to be saved. ]_

In the end, whatever Rin had planned, it wasn't going to amount to anything. The most she did was give him a short vacation from being Alaya's personal grim reaper.

No matter what happened, when this ends, he'll simply return to being a Counter Guardian and resume his forsaken life of endless slaughter.

 _It was just that simple._

 _'No point trying to convince her otherwise. For now, I'll see what she has in store, and bust her ass out when she inevitably makes one of her mistakes, convince her that saving me is insane and that she needs to move on with her life.'_

"Once I expand, I'll also be readjusting our positions. I'll keep the guy I just mentioned in check, you'll be dealing with their leader. Ophis will remain as an observer, since her movements _can and will interfere_ with this place."

He refocused himself and paid more attention. He noted how much emphasis Rin had put on Ophis' role as an observer instead of an active participant.

Ophis was the local incarnation of Gaia.

If he had to make a guess, then she probably held a sort of auto-corrective ability that made sure this world kept standing despite all the absurd elements it held. Otherwise, this world would have collapsed on itself a long time ago.

There was also the fact that with the time he had spent with Ophis, he had never seen the Dragon God actively exercise her abilities so an auto-correction was probably taking place in some shape or form.

Considering the implications that had on this world _and him_ , her presence was probably one of Rin's machinations.

"... and Shirou. I need you to make sure not to kill the enemy at any cost."

"I'm guessing they have a significant bearing on future events? What about injuries?"

He got a bit lost in contemplation but was able to reply smoothly to Rin as if he had been listening the whole time.

"Don't worry about injuring him. That enemy of yours is at least capable enough to avoid any grievous harm by himself for as long as you don't go using any of the more volatile parts of your armory."

"Understood. I'll be assuming you're not going to clue me in on any more information, so I'll be gathering my own."

He was neither a fan of allowing dangerous enemies to live nor was he a fan of needlessly complicated plans that involved so many unforeseen variables, however arguing at this point will only prolong the discussion.

 _'I guess this really is similar to old times.'_

Unlike his time as the summoned heroic spirit for a different version of Rin Tohsaka, he didn't hold back his thoughts and clearly expressed himself in terms of planning.

After all, this time, this was the Rin Tohsaka of his original world. Though he had no intention of being subservient, believing and relying on Rin was essentially hardwired into him even after all this time.

"Yep. I need to eliminate any and all possibility that you may appear to have any prior information and to do that, it's best not to give you any in the first place. Well the enemy you'll be fighting is actually pretty strong by this world's standards but I doubt he has any intention of fighting all out here as well. "

"Looks like they're almost getting in. Without Ophis-chan reinforcing the space, it was only a matter of time... Time to change the playing field. Ready?"

"Trace, on."

The familiar line was his way of responding.

He traced Kanshou and Bakuya and held them in both hands. The twin swords, one black and one white, had felt comfortable in his hands. They gleamed under the light, showing the beauty and intricacy that the swords held.

They were the weapons he favored above all else, a pair of blades that could serve as a symbol of his than even his reality marble. They didn't hold a power comparable other noble phantasms but their inherent properties and abilities, especially the low cost of their projection, meshed well with his personal combat style.

Rin glanced at his form and the blades and, just like how it always was between the two of them, took it as the start of the battle.

 _'It's time...'_

"Okay, Ophis, come closer. Something of this scale would be better be performed with your help."

Ophis moved in front of Rin, and she had taken out the handheld treasure chest once again. She held it on her palm and used her other hand to touch Ophis' forehead.

"Open the Mirror Word. Range, 3 kilometers. Include preset parameters..."

 ***FLASH***

The bright array of light encased the surroundings.

When the light abated, he found himself falling in the sky.

 **==[Beyond the Answer]==**

 **==[The Calm Before the Storm – Kuroka]==**

Her black kimono swayed along with the breeze of the cold night. Her voluptuous figure was outlined by the light of the moon as she laid casually on the edge of the rooftop of the building nearby.

Despite her state of dress, one that could only be called scandalous, she wasn't affected by the lowered temperatures. With her mastery of Senjutsu, such a thing was never a problem.

Her golden eyes turned towards the view of the city.

Though she looked like she was lazing around, she was in fact making sure that their presence was completely hidden from the senses of the supernaturally aware in the area with the use of Youjutsu.

Though there weren't any of them that could pose a threat, information of their presence would get in the way of future operations, so despite the fact that she would much rather be not doing anything, she was forced to do so.

 _'What's takin Georg so long nyah?'_

Kuroka's cat ears twitched as she once again attempted to sense what was in the room that the three of them were trying to infiltrate. Her enhanced abilities as a nekomata and her Senjutsu usually allowed her to sense the location of her targets from far away, however this time she couldn't even sense an iota of ki or hint of aura coming out of the location where the artificial space was created.

It was completely blank, as if no one was in there to begin with.

 _'This is taking a bit long nyah...'_

A few hours ago, as they were traveling through Shinjuku for the preparations they needed to do for their coming operation in Tokyo, Georg had sensed an anomalous created space near them.

Georg's sacred Gear, Dimension Lost, wasn't just capable of creating artificial space in an instant but also had the ability to allow him to sense and even interfere with spaces created by other people.

Technically, she was more than capable of helping seeing as spatial manipulation was within her abilities, however her instincts told her that doing so was absolutely useless.

Hence, she would laze around and keep masking their presence until Georg figures something out.

 _'Hnnyaah, according to the informaytion, the Red Guardian was staying around here nya...'_

Normally, they would have ignored the anomaly, however when the Red Guardian was put into the equation, Cao Cao had instantly decided that it would be good to pay the guy a visit.

 _'He's been really interested, probably wants to test and recruit him... Well I'm also interested... if he's strong and he joins us then he might be a good cyandidate nyahaha~'_

Her species, the nekoshou, was on the brink of extinction and it was one of her wishes to keep that from happening. She also didn't want that burden to fall onto her cute little sister, so it was left up to her to make sure that her species flourished.

"Georg nyah... how long is it-"

All three of them sensed the change in the surroundings and braced themselves.

The next moment, a stream of multi-colored light filled the surroundings...

 _'Hnnn...?'_

... and she found herself separated from her companions. She could still sense their auras, along with three more, scattered in the newly created aritifical space.

 _'I can still sense them nyah... but this feeling is...'_

Among those auras however was an enormous presence. An aura so overpowering that even though it was quite a distance away, she was completely sure as to what it belonged to.

 _'The ouroboros dragon...? Nyahahaha, looks like I've hit the jackpot~!'_

Seeing such an important target near her, she empowered her physical abilities and quickly homed in on her newfound prey.

 **==[Beyond the Answer]==**

 **==[Against the Red Witch - Georg]==**

"This is certainly quite a feat..."

Georg marveled at the artificial space that had been created by the opponent.

The creation of an artificial space or dimension was a complex process.

One would need to define every parameter involved. From the total volume enveloped by the space, the restricting boundaries, properties and elements involved, and the rules and regulations imposed inside... every little detail had to be planned out carefully before one could even think of creating one.

There was also the fact that for every parameter, for every incremental increase and size, for every rule being imposed inside, the amount of power used to deploy and maintain the space increased.

Of course, beings like the Devils were capable of creating large and highly elaborate artificial spaces. The ones used for their rating games served as a good example. However all of those were still prepared in advance and could only be maintained due to the fact that devils were far more capable magically than normal human beings.

This was why artificial spaces couldn't simply be abused in battle. The cost and preparation required to create one was great to a point that it would be significantly more practical to allocate said resources to simply creating defensive or preservation spells on the surroundings instead.

This was why his Sacred Gear, Dimension Lost, was considered to be powerful.

It allowed him to create artificial spaces far faster and more easily. Though he couldn't completely ignore the Law of Equivalent Exchange, like any other Longinus, he was able to get by it to a great extent.

This could easily be proven by the fact that he could conceptualize and create an artificial space in mere seconds, and proceed to maintain it for longer than even devils could manage.

There was also the fact that unlike conventional means, his Sacred Gear didn't have an upper limit in its creation of artificial space. He was theoretically capable of creating a space large enough to encase the entire world, something that would never be feasible by normal means.

"Oh? Well I'm very grateful. After all, praise from the descendant of the legendary Faust and the possessor of Dimension Lost hold quite a bit of weight."

"!?"

 _'When did she...?'_

He quickly turned around to address the enemy he had utterly failed to detect.

He wasn't nearly as combat oriented as his comrades in the Hero Faction, but that didn't mean he was incapable. The fact that his enemy had been able to so easily sneak up on him meant only one thing.

 _He was most likely going to lose in a close up battle._

"Good evening, Georg of the Hero Faction. I'm Rin Tohsaka, heir of the Tohsaka Clan... though I doubt you've heard of us."

The girl introduced herself with a curtsy. She had a long red coat that was worn over a white long sleeved button-up shirt and a short black skirt.

Her movement was elegant and her words were polite. The courteous smile she had made her appear like a highborn aristocrat addressing someone of equal status.

 _'Yet I can't feel even a hint of respect in those words of her. No, I can even sense a hint of hostility and annoyance.'_

"How surprising... I had expected a scholarly type of person when I had imagined the creator of this artificial space. To think that you're also a trained martial artist..."

That was the only logical conclusion. He would have been able to detect spells that hid a person's presence, so if the girl had been able to approach regardless, then that only meant it was a result of martial ability or a sacred gear.

Considering their database, the former was far more likely.

 _'Need to prepare. For now, I need to stall and gather information...'_

"Well I certainly do dabble in a bit of martial arts... however I'm afraid I can't claim to be a master of any sort. Though It's rather flattering that you may think so."

"I assume you're the one that created this space?"

He was at a great disadvantage at their current range and if the fact that the enemy was also a powerful magician was taken into account, then he needed to play it safe and stall.

"Yes. Quite the thing isn't it? This Mirror World is rather convenient for these kinds of situations."

"A Mirror World you say? How peculiar, pray tell, why would this space bear such a name?"

At that moment, the girl's courteous smile changed into a grin.

"Stalling aren't we? Well that's fine. That actually works far better in my favor. I wanted _him_ to spends some quality time with that leader of yours..."

The girl took out some gems from her pocket. It was several small pieces of ruby. She played with those gems in her hands.

 _'Hmm... I'm not aware of any magic that requires the use of gems however there's no doubt that those are the girl's medium for her spells.'_

He stared intently, making sure to watch out for any spell that the girl would use and prepared his own Sacred Gear.

"Though of course, you're thinking more on the lines of capturing Ophis aren't you? Well please, by all means, you're free to do so Sir Georg!"

He loaded set parameters in his Sacred Gear to prepare for an attack.

"Even I'm surprised by how attached she's become you know? I've expected it to a certain extent but... with how she is now, I doubt she'd be willing to leave our side. It's one of those few miscalculations that actually turn out favorable honestly."

 _'She's looking for an opening... Well let's have a look at what kind of magic you posses girl, I'll make sure to defend against whatever spell you might think of throwing at me regardless.'_

He made sure to pay attention to his surroundings, just in case the girl was preparing a large magic array.

"So Sir Georg, let's continue this discussion for as long you feel like. If you fancy a battle instead... then, _I will indulge you as well._ "

 _'…!?'_

He immediately started loading the parameters for an opening to an artificial space in front of him the second he saw the rubies on the girl's hand light up.

The rubies flew out of the girl's hand, making the sounds of gunshots firing from a high caliber gun, and homed in on him like guided missiles.

With the amount of power he could feel from it, that description probably wasn't far off from being literal.

 _'It's useless.'_

Before the rubies could even reach him, an opening to a created artificial space had already appeared to contain the attack completely.

The moment it materialized he immediately prepared to jump back to create more distance but...

 ***BOOM** * ***BOOM** * ***BOOM** *

He froze in place.

"Sir Georg... that's rather dangerous you know? Logic dictates that you _move away from the danger, not towards it_. We can't have you _getting injured_ now, can we?"

 _'What just...?'_

Right before the rubies even entered his haphazardly created artificial space, he clearly saw them disappear and reappear _behind him_ , before shooting off to the sides and exploding without causing him any harm.

He turned around, to see that the girl had already somehow repositioned herself directly behind him without him even realizing.

The girl's face returned to a courteous smile. She was already holding a some gems of different varieties in her hand.

Her casual posture, combined with the fact that she didn't take the chance to take him down in that moment only exemplified the fact that she was in complete control of the situation.

 _'An illusion? No... I've trained enough with Kuroka for me to be able to tell. That was no illusion... the girl truly was in front of me and the rubies shot at me were indeed real up to the very last moment.'_

It would have been simple if it was an illusion but he was absolutely sure that that wasn't the case.

 _'Teleportation? No... something like that requires a magical array. No matter how skilled she is, a teleportation spell isn't something you can just place on whatever object you fancy nor can it be casted instantly...'_

If that was the case then a lot more magicians and devils would have placed a teleportation spell on every weapon or object they could find.

Teleportation was a common mode of transport, but those were similar to artificial space in that it required ample preparation to perform and wasn't something someone could use for real time battle.

 _'The rubies are too small for to be loaded with an array and I can be sure that those things are just aimed bombs of magical energy... then what if...she altered the rubies and her position in real time?'_

He was unaware of any magic involving rubies so he could only try to reason out his opponent's mysteries through what knowledge he had.

 _'In theory, one could alter the properties of objects that were inside an artificial space... however...'_

An artificial space was just as the name stated. It was a dimension created specifically to create more space for whatever reason one needed.

All the parameters and details that one had to define and set was for the sake of creating the space itself and not much else. One could program a spell to activate with certain conditions, and teleportation was one of them.

However a teleportation spell could only work to transport an object to a set location regardless of the starting position.

Moreover, the only thing one could alter _were objects that were created along with the space_. Altering anything else, like everything brought inside the space from the real world, wasn't just possible.

Rules and regulations could be imposed but nothing that broke the laws of the world.

 _'Even if she intended to lure me into a specific position, there was no way for her to account for every single step I would make. The positioning was too perfect and precise for that to happen...'_

Which meant that it was something along the lines of the girl changing _her coordinates at will._

It didn't matter if it was magicians or devils. There was no known case of anyone performing something like that.

If the devils for example, who use artificial space far more than any other faction, were capable of performing such a feat, then they would basically be invincible when inside an artificial space since they could re-position anything as they please.

 _'Hmm... this is bad. If I'm right, then she has far too much of an advantage in this space. There's also the disparity in gained information, she seems to be well aware of my abilities but I've never even heard of this girl's name.'_

"You're underestimating Cao Cao far too much girl. I've heard of the rumors, and though I don't doubt that that Red Guardian of yours is strong, he will surely lose in an all out fight."

It was a provocation. He was well aware of the facts known about the Red Guardian and his level of strength. However, Cao Cao was the chosen of the strongest Longinus in the world, that itself already assured that he was the Red Guardian's superior.

 _'If I could just throw her off...'_

Precision and concentration. Regardless of how skilled the girl was, a spell of that wasn't something that could be used without a calm mind.

So he attempted to throw her concentration off by provoking her.

"Pffft... A-ah, ahaha! _*cough*_ E-ehem, yes... Excuse me... though your leader is certainly capable, especially with his weapon, there's something you need to understand Sir Georg..."

However, unlike what he expected, instead of being insulted, the girl was instead filled with mirth and amusement.

"In the face of _his strength_... your leader's ability amounts to as much as the meaning of the word _Hero_ that you people so shamelessly parade around..."

For a moment, just a passing moment, he saw a murderous look appear the girl's face and it felt like the words being spat out her mouth were pure poison.

 **"Absolutely nothing."**

That face disappeared quickly as it appeared. It was fast replaced with that courteous smile she had when she introduced herself. Like what he just saw was nothing more than a trick of the eye.

"So Sir Georg, let's get along! Until the those two are satisfied at least."

He drew back slightly. This wasn't just a simple enemy he could take on.

He even felt that the girl in front of him might just be more dangerous that the Red Guardian himself.

 **==[Beyond the Answer]==**

 **==[A Test of Skill – Cao Cao]==**

Cao Cao grinned as he saw the Red Guardian appear in the air and land in a nearby building.

He'd been rather ecstatic at the thought of finally fighting the elusive and famed guardian of the Ouroboros that he had even postponed their trip for the sake of facing the man.

He's always had an eye for talent and the second he saw the Red Guardian, he immediately knew that this was going to be an interesting battle.

For a brief moment, their eyes met and then and there, the battle had already started.

 _'According to our information, the Red Guardian specializes in close quarters armed combat... let's put that to the test!'_

Standing atop the high rise building, he grinned as he saw the Red Guardian finally making his arrival, having scaled the walls and gently landing on the ground.

His opponent held two identically shaped swords, one white and one black, and held them in a peculiar stance that was filled with enough critical openings that it was practically screaming to be attacked.

 _'I see... if you're being that inviting, then let me indulge!'_

Gleefully accepting the challenge, Cao Cao wasted no time in engaging his opponent and closed in the distance. He held the Holy Spear, the True Longinus, and immediately executed a lunging thrust to the Red Guardian's chest.

His movement was inhumanely fast, at such a speed that no other human would have been capable of keeping up. In any other situation, the battle would have ended right then and there...

However, his opponent had casually taken a half step to the side, swung the black sword held in his left hand vertically downward right as the spear was passing through, slamming it into the ground to trap it while simultaneously using the white sword on his right to launch a counter attack. A killing blow aimed at his neck.

 _'Got you!'_

Cao Cao reacted instantly the second he felt his spear making contact and using his flexibility, extended his leg forward and bowed his head to avoid the horizontal swing, changing his grip on his spear to hold it closer to the blade, twisted its shaft, releasing it from its entrapment, and attacked the deadly opening that had been created by that one movement.

 _'Sorry but this is ov-'_

As it stood, there was no viable way for the Red Guardian to escape his well planned assault if one considers his position, the speed and timing of Cao Cao's attack, and _the weapon he was currently using._

That was why Cao Cao was shocked when he finally noticed the fact that the two swords that the Red Guardian was wielding in both hands had already disappeared, freeing both of his hands.

Those hands were positioned as if they were holding _a staff or spear._

Just like how he defended on the first attack, the Red Guardian had turned and twisted his body away from Cao Cao's attack. Within that movement, he saw a spear appear from thin air

Allowing the him to successfully defend and _parry the attack,_ deflecting it upwards and over his head _._

 _'…!?'_

Cao Cao had prepared himself to defend and counter against the newly created spear however his expectations were immediately overturned when the spear _had already disappeared._

The Red Guardian had dismissed the spear right after parrying Cao Cao's attack, used his now free right hand to grab the True Longinus and pull both it and Cao Cao within range of the rapier that had been materialized in his right hand.

That rapier was going straight for the kill.

 _'I also have a few tricks up my sleeve!'_

Seeing that he was completely outplayed with the reveal of one of his opponent's abilities, he decided to respond in kind.

The thrusting attack from the rapier was far too fast for him to have dodged or parried with his spear _normally_ and the grip the Red Guardian had on his spear was far too strong to simply shake off.

So instead, he made _his spear extend its length,_ pushing both his body slightly backwards as well as pushing on the opponent that was holding his spear off balance, allowing him to dodge the attack.

He drew back to create some distance and renewed his stance. The Red Guardian did the same, dismissing the rapier and once again wielding the black and white swords.

He stood in the middle while the Red Guardian was standing near the edge of the rooftop.

He could barely contain the laughter that was welling up inside him.

 _'Let's have another go Red Guardian!'_

Cao Cao decided to engage the battle again, pointing the tip of his spear towards the head of the Red Guardian as he charged in, intending to use the attack as a feint.

Unexpectedly, the Red Guardian had countered _by throwing the white sword_ right at him.

 _'Are you getting desperate Red Guardian!?'_

He easily dodged attack with a slight turn and continued his assault, initiating the thrusting attack to his opponents head, forcing his opponent to defend with the black sword.

Right at the point before the two weapons would make contact however, Cao Cao commanded his spear _to retract,_ avoiding the incoming parry, then commanded it to extend once again while he changed his attack from a thrust to a low sweep.

Cao Cao had expected the Red Guardian to materialize yet another weapon to defend but his opponent instead _opted to jump up_ in order to avoid his sweep _._

 _'Do you really think that's the best option?!'_

Almost offended with his opponent's choice, he followed up his sweep with an upward thrust, fully knowing that his opponent wouldn't be able to dodge mid-air and any new weapon that would come out would Cao Cao to push him off the building or make another fatal opening.

Cao Cao knew well that that wouldn't cause any harm to his opponent but it would allow him to claim victory in this _restrained battle._

 _'It's over!'_

That was it.

He just had to follow through with his attack. He simply needed to exploit the large opening that the Red Guardian's jump had created.

He simply needed to commit to the upward thrust and _he would claim victory._

However he hesitated. Despite everything, while he was performing the supposed final attack of the battle, he wasn't able to fully commit.

 _Because he felt that that conclusion was completely wrong._

 **Move. Move away or you** ** _will lose_** **.**

His instincts, one that had been honed in countless against beings that were both superior in power and ability, had _screamed at him_ that he had overlooked a crucial detail in their fight.

 _'SHIT!'_

Believing in his instincts, he tilted his spear slightly sideways, commanded it to extend. The action made the spear hit the ground hard, causing enough force to push him sideways...

… Right as the white sword the Red Guardian had thrown earlier flew past him, tracing a small wound on his side.

 _'Tch...!'_

Knowing another attack was going to come, he gathered power in his spear and threw out a concentrated blade of light.

It was an attack that was made purely to restore the status quo and allow him to make a recovery, however the Red Guardian _easily cleaved through it with his twin white and black swords_.

 _'What are those swords...?!'_

The light from the True Longinus wasn't something that someone can just swat away. It was a power capable of slaying gods and satans alike and though he had not gone all out in that one attack, the fact that it was so easily sliced apart was enough to make him astonished.

 _'He's coming!'_

The Red Guardian was relentless in his attacks, already resuming his assault. However as it stood, Cao Cao already understood that continuing the fight further would require him to go all out.

Considering what the Hero faction had to do soon, that wasn't something he could hope to afford.

 _'No choice...!'_

Instead of defending or dodging the enemy's next attack he stood firm and pointed his spear towards the ground...

 ***BOOOM***

.. and created a massive explosion of light.

 ***WHOOSH** *

When the light abated however, he a blade flew close to his face.

 _'….?'_

He raised his hands to his cheeks, finally noticing that blood was dripping and realized that the last attack had grazed actually him.

"Ha...hahahahah!"

Feeling the wound on his cheeks, he couldn't hold back the laughter he'd been holding back since realizing he had finally found an opponent that relied on skill and tactics just like him.

 _'That's... how long has it been since I've last fought someone like this?'_

He's fought countless times but more often than not, his opponent's have always been the kind that relied on pure power or ability of their sacred gears.

When it came down to it, this was the first time in a long time when he had fought a battle whose victory hinged on skill and tactics alone.

"Looks like I've lost."

Cao Cao declared as he grinned savagely. He turned towards the Counter Guardian who was still in that strange open stance he preferred to use.

 _'An aggressive counter-style is it? How unique.'_

He had already understood how the Red Guardian's battle style worked.

 _'He just doesn't create obvious openings for his enemies to exploit. He lures them into thinking they've created the openings themselves, creating the false illusion that exploiting it would lead to victory...'_

It was an outright insane combat logic to apply. In martial arts, creating an opening was indeed a standard tactic to abuse in a fight... but the Red Guardian's style had taken that to extreme lengths.

Sufficiently skilled and experienced opponent's would be more than capable of telling when their enemy was intentionally creating an opening and would decide when to take the bait.

 _'However in his case, the opponent can't help but take advantage of the openings he so casually creates in the midst of intense battle...'_

The first and arguably main reason was the fact that those openings were _fatal ones_. They were genuine openings that the opponent would _normally force out to claim a victory and even go in for a kill._

The second was the absurd timing and tactical ability the Red Guardian had. Those openings felt like they were the logical conclusion to a series of steps, one that was naturally created by the opponent's superior ability...

...and that was how he exploits his enemy. When the enemy was truly convinced he would claim victory, he would crush every bit of that belief with a devastating counterattack that would come out of of nowhere.

"That's quite the unique style you have there, Red Guadian."

It certainly was one of a kind.

Though the logic in that style was simple to describe and understand, if it was so easy to pull off then every idiot that picked up a weapon could manage to do it.

However doing such a thing was _plain and outright suicide_ when used against truly skilled and experienced opponents.

Cao Cao could only fathom how the Red Guardian had developed and continued to utilize such an insane combat style and still continue to be part of the living.

"I would say the same for your weapon. To call it a [Weapon of God] might not even be too far off."

"Well a [Weapon to Kill God] would actually be more appropriate, though the holy properties it holds would qualify it as a God Weapon as well."

There was still tension in the air. Another engagement and clash of weapons could start at any given moment.

Both of them were still in their respective battle stances, ready to charge at any given opportunity.

"It seems that you don't have any intention to conclude our battle either..."

Despite the atmosphere however he withdrew his spear and quelled his killing intent.

 _'It's clear as day that he holds a lot more than just that weapon creating ability and that suicidal fighting style of his.'_

There was also the fact that they both had the chance to end each other presented to them several times, if they were willing to go all out. However, neither of them took it, which meant that there was a chance for Cao Cao to open up negotiations.

 _'He should be human from what I can sense. However there's something more that in him that I can't put my finger on.'_

Regardless, the Red Guardian was still a strong human being in his eyes, one capable of matching him blow for blow. He was more than worth recruiting into the Hero Faction as he was.

"Red Guardian... though the introductions were delayed, I'm Cao Cao of the Hero Faction."

"Hero... Faction?"

"Yes. We are a group of humans gathered together to take on the threats against humanity. I've appraised your skill and ability and have found them more than sufficient... What do you think about joining us?"

He extended the invitation. He had an inkling of what kind of answer the Red Guardian would give but he certainly wasn't expecting what came next.

 **==[Beyond the Answer]==**

 **==[In the face of a Dragon God - Kuroka]==**

"Ahh, so you were here nyaa~"

Kuroka softly landed on the roof of the building after having homed in on the black haired girl sitting on the ledge, silently watching the battle between Cao Cao and the Red Guardian.

She actually wanted to observe, having taken a slight interest in the Red Guardian as well, but unfortunately she was saddled with the task of capturing their target since Georg had become preoccupied with the red clad magician girl.

"Nyaha~ Well I guess I'll play with the Red Guardian nyext time. For nyow..."

She casually approached Ophis without any hint of hesitation and stopped directly behind her.

She momentarily considered how to go about the whole 'capturing' thing.

Her target was a Dragon God. Ophis was essentially harmless as far as the information they had went so she felt that a direct approach was fine.

"Hey Ophis-chan, time to get going nyaa!"

"Away...?"

"Yes nyaa~! The Red Guardian won't help ya beat Great Red nya know? We have something far more powerful... so why don't nya just come with me and..."

She casually grabbed the Dragon God and attempted to lift her up as she spoke.

"Where...?"

"To the Hero Faction of course nya!"

"I, refuse..."

"Nyaha~ Can't have that, you'll be coming withe me now!"

Despite the verbal refusal of her request, Kuroka had still decided to keep going.

Ophis was known to be passive at all times. A being that never showed aggression regardless of reason, even against enemies, due to the fact that there wasn't really anything in the world capable posing a threat to her.

Unfortunately for Kuroka, such information was outdated.

"Hnnyaa?"

She could feel a firm grip on her forearm. Despite knowing that the one in front of her was an all powerful being, the image of such a small hand holding so much power was still a strange sight to see and experience.

Ophis slowly turned her head towards her and for the first time, Kuroka was able to see the face of her target. The unnatural way Ophis body head was turned in relation to the position of her body was severely off-putting.

She stared at the dragon god's face. It was expressionless just as expected. Just as it should have been… but her eyes were a different matter.

Seeing those eyes made her realize on vital thing.

She was looking at a Dragon God. An ultimate entity. Something she would never have any hope of surviving.

"...?!"

 _The dragon god's eyes were black and nothing more. In fact, there were no 'eyes' in the first place. It was as if there was a black void, like staring into an endless abyss._

" **No."**

 _The sheer cold that her words contained froze her body in place. Every part of her body felt completely numb._

 _The only thing that told her she was still among the living was the fact the grip the Dragon God still had on her forearm._

 _That and the overwhelming sense of dread coming from the extremely powerful surge of killing intent that was saturating the area._

 ** _You're going to die._**

 _That was the only thought in her mind. The only possible conclusion to the current situation she could come up with._

 _She started to feel something touching her feet and despite everything, she was able to take a glance at what was touching her._

 _They were snakes. Tens, hundreds, THOUSANDS of snakes. Jet-black snakes that had materialized from the ground, covering every inch of it. Squirming and slowly gathering below her, climbing up her legs and wrapping around her body._

 ** _Run. Run Away. RUN AWAY._**

 _Every fiber of her being was screaming at her to run but she couldn't find the strength to move while the snakes that wrapped around her body kept increasing._

 _The snakes constricted around several parts of her body and begun biting all at the same time._

 _Her body felt like it was being impaled with burning swords._

 _Every bite felt like a whole chunk of her body was being ripped apart._

 ** _Let go. LET GO. LET GO RIGHT NOW._**

 _The snakes finally climbed up to her neck and started wrapping around it. Several snakes went inside her mouth._

 _Her neck was being slowly crushed._

 _Her eyes were being gouged out._

 _Her ears and nose were being eaten bit by bit._

 _She could feel the snakes that had entered her body tearing her apart inside._

 ** _ImgonnadieDEADdeATHRUNLETGOPLEASEFDYINGNOWSTOPSTOPSTPOSTSP#!$ &*!(%!#%! #!*($&_**

 ***BOOOOOM** *

"!?"

A large explosion of light that came from location where Cao Cao and the Red Guardian pushed her back to her senses.

By the time she realized it she was already on the ground, on the other side of the roof, away from the Dragon God.

Her breathing was ragged and her whole body was trembling. Sweat had drenched her kimono.

She immediately checked herself, touching her face and looking at her hands to make absolutely sure that she was still in one piece. The sensation of having her body devoured piece by piece was far too real.

"In the past... there was silence..."

She could hear the voice of the Dragon God and for the life of her, she had never felt something so cold before.

Her hands shook.

 _It was fear._

 _She was afraid._

"I was foolish... to have left that silence..."

She kept her head down and kept still. Hoping to every deity that the Dragon God wouldn't approach.

"I had searched the world... but no matter where I had gone... I could hear the noise of humanity..."

She didn't want to see those eyes again. She didn't want to experience that insanity ever again.

"... but I found a place. A place where I can feel that silence once again."

She gradually backed away.

"I already have my own place... so Great Red... does not matter anymore..."

For a moment, she felt another strong surge of energy and braced herself.

When nothing came, she dared to look up and saw that Ophis was staring at her.

The dragon god's eyes had returned to the reported Grey color. Not the endless abyss of black that felt like it would swallow her whole.

However, that look was somehow far more threatening than the one before. It was a look that told her that there wasn't a second chance coming, that the next time she ever attempted the same thing again...

 _Those snakes were going to devour her._

" **Leave."**

She jumped away with every bit of power she could muster and ran without looking back.

 **==[Beyond the Answer]==**

 **==[Author's Corner]==**

Finished!

Unfortunately, for everyone who was looking forward to the pain Rin would bring for the interference of her love love time with her Shirou, you have been disappointed... for this chapter. Our Rin-sama does not rain down her grievances in one fell swoop, no no... she gives it in installments!

Thank you for reading this chapter of BTA and once again, thank you for the support of this story. It is very much appreciated!

 **==[Additional]==**

For my original stories - Blog: nukokon_word press _com  
If you want to support me – P a treon_com (slash)nukoko

Underscores are dots and no spaces!

Thank you and see you next chapter!


	6. Chapter 6: Red Reunion Final

**Update (08/21/2018):** Minor edits likely still missed a lot of stuff. Removed top A/N and answer to reviews section. The latter will be added seen in the blog in the future.

 **==[Beyond the Answer]==**

 **==[She Who Personifies the World – Ophis]==**

 _ **KSSSSSSSHHHHHHHHHHHH**_

Her jet-black hair flowed along with the sudden gust of wind.

She sat on the ledge of the roof, casually observing the confrontation between Shirou Emiya and the holder of the True Longinus.

The battle itself had halted as the two men simple faced each other. The tension was palpable, as if an attack could be made at any moment…

However the holder of the True Longinus seemed to have decided to converse instead. It seems that the man had extended an offer to Shirou Emiya to join the so called 'Hero Faction'.

 _'… the decision itself has no bearing towards myself.'_

The current situation was something orchestrated by Rin Tohsaka in advance. She had agreed since whatever decision Shirou Emiya would make in this situation wouldn't affect her goal in once again witnessing the white-haired man's world of blades.

 _ **KSSSSSSSHHHHHHHHHHHH**_

 _'… it has started.'_

She looked up at the sky. It was a picture perfect image of the star studded night that would often be depicted in popular media.

Despite the fact that it was an artificial space, the level of detail that was contained in the surroundings was outstanding. Artificial spaces often left out replicating unnecessary objects or details that weren't relevant to the purpose of its creation. Doing so would reduce the cost and time needed for its creation and the overall upkeep.

This 'Mirror World' however was in a different league. It was something that could be deployed at nearly an instant, with seemingly very little preparation, and it was capable of completely replicating every speck of dust within the space it's made to copy.

 _ **KSSSSSSSHHHHHHHHHHHHKSHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH**_

Just looking at the sky was enough to tell her that it was a spell of another caliber.

However…

 _'It is empty… an uninteresting sky. As if it was nothing more than a still painting on a canvas.'_

Despite the level of detail it held, there was still a distinct difference. In her eyes, neither the sky nor the surroundings held any sense of 'life' or 'vigor'.

To an existence like her, one that held an intimate connection with earth and nature itself, the sky was a mere empty husk, a shell with no substance, nothing more than a finely crafted decoration.

 _ **KSSSSSSSHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH**_

 _ **KSSSSSSSHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHKSSSSSSSHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH**_

 _'The noise… is greater…'_

Was it because of the fact that this artificial space was created with foreign elements? Maybe it was because the methodology or even the core logic it operates on wasn't conforming to the world it was occupying…

Such questions entered her mind as she ignored the growing noise.

 _ **KSSSSSSSHHHHHHH**_

It wasn't something that could be heard.

It was something she felt.

Something that she could feel from the very depths of her being. As if her soul, her core, her totality was being shaken.

"… I will have to dispose of this space, soon."

Though she had grown somewhat accustomed with the 'noise' created by human civilization. The noise being created by this foreign artificial space was several levels worse.

As it stood, it posed a very real threat in interfering with the natural order of this world.

 _ **KSSSSSSSHHHHHHH**_

She returned her sights to the two men facing each other.

It seems that while she had been momentarily distracted, the battle had restarted.

Though calling it a battle was inappropriate, since unlike the earlier engagement, it seems that Shirou Emiya was fighting with more vigor.

 **==[Beyond the Answer]==**

 **==[Trigger Happy Lady – Rin Tohsaka]==**

My hands were trembling uncontrollably. I tried to relax myself in an attempt to stop the trembling but I knew full well that it was useless.

I wish I could blame exhaustion or the cold night… but unfortunately, that would just be escaping reality.

Wasn't much of a fan of that concept in general, it was something that cowards with no pride to uphold would indulge in.

I concentrated and got a good feel of my body. It felt a bit stiff but was operating within expectations.

A fully functioning 'vessel' for an aged soul wasn't easy to achieve. I guess the fact that I can exist and function in this body to a point that can be considered 'normal' should be considered a miracle in and of itself.

How well I could perform in this body was one of the major hurdles presented in the plan. No one was going to be able to save that root be damned idiot if I started physically breaking down before we could even get started.

 _'I wonder how my idiot is doing right about now?'_

I took a glance at the general direction of where Shirou and Cao Cao were located. After the flash of holy energy, it seemed like hostilities had temporarily been halted.

Considering Cao Cao's personality and position, it was likely that he was already extending an offer to Shirou to join the Hero faction.

Now all there is to see is how Shirou takes the invitation and the concept of the 'Hero Faction' as a whole. I'll use that as the basis for how I'm going to approach the whole 'saving' thing in relation to the future events of this world.

"Ugh…. Gah….!? What the hell… is…?!"

I looked down at the man who was down on the ground, struggling but failing to get up.

I looked around the rooftop area where we had fought. It was a complete mess, several cracks and breaks, and even a crater could be seen.

"I guess I did go a bit overboard though…"

I scolded myself a bit. This was just supposed to be a trial run for how the current body I have would perform as well as a means of seeing how Shirou with interact with the Hero faction.

 _'Okay fine. Maybe 'a bit' would be stretching it. I'd say I went slightly too far with the Finn Shots.'_

I mean, you couldn't possibly blame me right? I, a true blue magus in my mind, heart, and soul, can't perform an experiment without making sure I was thorough and can't stop until I've yielded satisfactory results!

A magus must do what he or she must in their pursuit for the truth. Hence, the devastated rooftop as well as the physically, mentally, and emotionally broken man that had served as my opponent were perfectly acceptable.

"Why can't I….?"

I was actually fairly impressed at Georg's resilience. He had already taken several Gandr shots point blank. Right now, he should be weak to a point where he shouldn't even be capable of any sort of movement or speech.

Given, I had made sure none of the more powerful shots would hit to make sure that he wouldn't die outright, but the fact that he can even speak and attempt to get up was something to be commended.

"…. Hmmm?"

I raised an eyebrow when I felt a build of energy and saw traces of mist appearing from under him.

 _'So it seems you haven't given up yet?'_

Good. That's good. If he was weak enough that he'd give up from something of this level then he'd be utterly useless for my plans.

Unfortunately, his performance was a tad bit too pathetic. I may have had every advantage being given to me within this 'Mirror World' but his ability to adapt was lacking, and his decision making skills when he was cornered was abysmal.

Honestly, if he had chosen to escape the second he understood that winning against me while in this artificial space was impossible, I would've given him a far better assessment.

That's why, let's do it this way.

I raised my left arm and pointed my index finger towards Georg. My **magic crest** flared as I concentrated my prana at the very point of my finger.

I was readying an overcharged Finn Shot.

Though a normal Finn Shot wasn't something that would kill a human being, all you really have to do was supercharge it to a point where it can.

This'll be his final test of sorts. If he fails, he dies here. If he passes, he gets to live on another day and will officially become one of pawns that I'll be using for my plans.

 _'Honestly, it'll be troublesome proceeding in some parts without your Dimension Lost so please kindly survive this little test so I can use you okay~?'_

"Guh….!"

I saw him tense. Despite how weak he should be right now, he still managed to raise his head to glare at me.

 _'Well I'll assume that means you're ready. Don't fail me now.'_

"….!"

 ***BOOOM***

I released the delayed Finn Shot and an explosion dust and debris followed.

"Heh… well I guess that means Dimension lost is still on the table. Good job."

When the cloud of dust cleared, the only thing left was the crater made by the overcharged Finn Shot. Not a trace of Georg in sight.

Looks like he was able to time his escape at the very last moment so that I wouldn't be able to have the chance to reorient the position of the shot.

"Hmm… it looks like I won't be able to go for long drawn-out battles. I'll have to adjust for that…"

All things considered though, that went as well as it could have. I was able to fight at an acceptable level. Both my magecraft and my martial skill were useable, though I'd need to establish my upper limit when it comes to spell usage.

The one thing that really worried me was if my Magic Crest would be usable without drawbacks.

Fortunately, it seems my current body was adapting to the Magic Crest without much problems.

Now I just need to—

 **[Really now lass, do you even know how hard it was to make that body? Know that no matter how well the vessel is made, your soul will still collapse if you push it too far, you idiot.]**

A deep voice resounded inside my head and all of a sudden the view of the town completely disappeared.

The start studded night sky changed and various colors seem to burst forth in streams. The colors never stayed the same, changing at the slightest movement of my view.

The building I was on was now gone. I was effectively floating in mid-air with nothing to support me.

There was no doubt. This was definitely the _image_ of the **[Dimensional Gap].**

"Hmph. Well _oh great dragon god_ that represents the desires of all humankind, to what honor do I owe the pleasure of having your grand presence in this meager artificial space?"

 **[Hmph. Keep that attitude up and agreement or not I might just smack you in the face lass.]**

Really now, can't you just straight to the point? The clock's ticking and I want to get some sleep soon you know?

"Okay fine, seriously though what are you doing here? I thought you didn't want Ophis-chan finding you?"

 **[An illusion of only this scale and caliber won't alert the other one of my presence. Especially when she's too engrossed watching that boy of yours.]**

 _'Only'_ this scale and caliber?

I could only marvel at the fact that not only had 'it' been able to capture me in an illusion so easily but also had done so within an artificial space I created.

 **[Don't take us lightly lass. Despite our appearance, crossing an artificial space without prior notice is nothing. Make sure that little head of yours understand, we hold enough power to change this world at a whim.]**

"Hmph. You say that but we both know that that 'unlimited' power both you and Ophis-chan holds can't be wielded _freely_. Isn't that right, Great Red?"

I turned my body to face my captor.

'It', or rather, 'she', was sitting atop an ancient floating golem. A gogmagog if I recall correctly.

It was a young girl. She had brown skin and long white hair that reached the soles of her feet. Her ears were pointed, like how elf ears are depicted in popular media. She wore a frilly red dress that was daringly lacking cloth on the chest area.

It was the spitting image of Ophis, only with a different color scheme.

That and the most glaring difference between them was the fact that Great Red's face was very expressive.

The golden piercing eyes combined with the smug smile she wore on that face of hers felt off. Probably because I wasn't used to seeing any hint of emotion on Ophis' form.

"Honestly, I never understood why both of you insist on taking on that form."

 **[Ahh you mean this? It was a form that the other one favors, I simply adopted it since I serve as that child's counterpart. The form itself bears some significance to the other one but that's not a story for me to tell.]**

"That's fine. I'd love to stay here for a chat, but I've got a schedule to keep here, so hurry up and tell me why you went out of your way to pull me into one of your illusions."

Despite the fact that I was speaking the collective will and desire of humanity given form, this world's version of Alaya, I didn't bother showing any politeness or respect.

Doing so was pointless.

 **[Tch. That mouth of yours hasn't changed still. Though I guess I can't blame you… The emotions I can sense inside of you are rather intense, at a level I've yet to see from any human in this world. It seems the boy that both you and the other one are so fond of truly is special isn't he?]**

I clenched my fist and calmed myself.

I really, really, want to rip out that smug and mischievous smile from her face if I could.

I never liked having my thoughts and emotions read so freely and easily yet this idiotic dragon had the gall to do so without permission.

"Damn it, so I guess the fact that I'm using a body you made means I'm also now included in your _domain_?"

 **[Got it in one, lass. You and that boy are now effectively part of this world. So both of you are indeed part of my domain now. Heh, I'll have to say lass, I've seen and felt love before but** _ **never**_ **at a level that you've shown when you met with up that boy. That was quite a shock to see.]**

"Y-you…! Shut up! Don't go reading other people's emotions without permission! I-I don't love him _that_ much!"

Crap. Now I'm falling back into old habits.

I know I teased you in the past but this is just freaking petty. Damn this vindictive loli!

If I knew she was going to be this annoying once she could read my emotions, I really should've taken actions to prevent this.

Unfortunately despite my complaints, I was now part of her domain so there was literally nothing I could do to stop it.

Ophis and Great Red, as beings that served as the collective will and desire of the world and humanity respectively, were capable of resonating with those that belonged to their respective domains.

Great Red's domain was humanity. It wasn't exclusive to human beings. It even extended to those that held human-like qualities. So she was fully capable of not only reading someone's emotions but even understanding the cause of it.

Ophis on the other hand, had the world and nature itself as part of her domain. She resonated with the animals, the phantasmal beasts, plants and trees, even the seas and the earth itself.

On that note, I should ask if Ophis can actually talk to trees. I'm rather interested in what a tree would convey if it was capable of speech.

 **[You're going off-track there lass. I appreciate your zeal for useless exposition but I have other matters to speak with you. Also, to answer that last question, yes, the other one can indeed communicate with trees and the like.]**

So she really can? Well I'll put that aside for now. Time for the serious talk to begin.

 **[It's about** _ **that**_ **lass.]**

"Has it already started? _This early_?"

 **[Yes. We won't be able to make the intended time frame at this rate. We'll need to address it soon if you want to push through with that convoluted plan of yours.]**

Damn. That's far too early.

Haaaah. Why do things never go my way?

"Fine. We'll discuss how to deal with that later, when this little event ends. If you don't want Ophis-chan to notice you, you better go now."

 **[Hmmm… arrange a meeting with the boy and myself as well.]**

"Ho-oh? Checking on Shirou now? What, are you jealous that he took Ophis-chan away from you or something?"

 **[Shut it lass. I've given you my aid so take this request as a means of payment. I want to see what else that boy holds. Make sure that the other one doesn't accompany him however, I'd rather not deal with a battle again.]**

"Fine, fine. I'll have it done later. Anything else?"

There was a bit of silence as Great Red gave me a contemplative stare.

"Oh just spit it out already!"

 **[Well… I was respecting your privacy lass but if you insist…]**

Great Red nodded and let out a sigh. She then looked at me with a completely serious face.

 **[Lass, I think you really should keep control of your desires a bit. Your level of depravity rivals that of ancient demons. That boy was rather worried when you had requested him to pin you to the wall with swords, you know?]**

"…"

 **[…]**

"SHUT UP AND MIND YOUR OWN DAMN BUSINESS!"

 **==[Beyond the Answer]==**

 **==[The Man with No Self-Preservation Skills – Cao Cao]==**

 _"Hero... Faction?"_

 _"Yes. We are a group of humans gathered together to take on the threats against humanity. I've appraised your skill and ability and have found them more than sufficient... What do you think about joining us?"_

It had been a full minute since Cao Cao had extended the Red Guardian with the offer to join the Hero Faction.

"Honestly… what was Rin thinking?"

After a full minute of silence, the Red Guardian finally spoke.

 _'Hmmm… Rin?'_

 ***CLANG***

 _"Guh…?!"_

Momentarily distracted by the random statement from the Red Guardian, he failed to properly register the fact that his opponent had already thrown their weapon straight at him. The action was far too fast for him to perceive.

It was only thanks to his instincts that he was able to just barely block the surprise attack.

He quickly restored his balance and prepared for the follow up attack.

"Gaaaah….!"

Only to feel his opponent's elbow being firmly planted into his abdomen, with enough force that he could feel his entire body going up into the air.

"….!"

Before he could even understand what was happening, he saw that Red Guardian was already mid-swing, another sword in hand, fully intending to cleave him in two.

His instincts told me that if he didn't do anything, being cleaved in two was going to be far too literal for his liking.

 ***CLANG***

 _'Shit...!'_

He managed to block the strike but the force he received from just blocking was enough to _throw him back several feet,_ right out of the rooftop area they were fighting on.

Despite the pain he was in, he managed to properly land on a nearby building and recover. He prepared himself to go back up but saw something peculiar.

Instead of swords, his opponent was drawing an unusually large bow and just about to release what looked to be a sword that looked like it was twisted into a screw.

He looked at that sword and he understood.

 _ **You're dead.**_

Everything felt like it was going in slow motion. He could hear his heart beating faster.

 _ **You're going to die.**_

He saw the red guardian release his hand, allowing the screw-like sword to fly.

He knew that whatever it was that was coming, it wasn't something he could block nor was it something he had time to dodge.

His body was trembling. The entirety of his being was shaking in fear.

For the first time in his life, he truly felt like he was about to die.

 _ **You're going to-**_

 _'Don't… underestimate me!'_

 **[BALANCE BREAKER!]**

 _ **{Atsusa Ratana}**_

Seven spheres of light scattered into the air as a large explosion filled the air, devastating everything that had been caught inside it.

When the light abated, the building that was caught in the explosion was reduced to dust, as if it had been erased out of existence.

The spheres of light remained and converged into the rooftop.

"Haaah….. haaah…. You…"

"…."

Several ribs of his was already broken from the elbow strike to his abdomen. He had probably torn several muscles and fractured some bones in his arm from blocking the sword strike that followed as well.

"To think I'd be force to use this here… you're really something! That speed and power, were you holding back considerably in our earlier bout?!"

The disparity between the speed and power that the Red Guardian had shown in the first fight and the one had had shown in the last assault was significant.

 _It wasn't something a human had any business possessing._

"I see… I was sincerely trying to kill you there so I commend you for surviving."

He smiled ferally. If the Red Guardian wasn't going to become part of his faction, then we was going to be an enemy to fight.

 _A strong enemy._

 _'Come at me. Show me how powerful you really are!'_

The seven spheres of light circled around him. Each of them held a strong and unique ability.

This was his [Balance Breaker: Polar Night Longinus Chakra Valdine].

The one he had used to dodge the last attack had been [Atsusa Ratana], an ability that allowed him to teleport a target of his choosing. The target in question would be sent to the location of the sphere that held the ability.

He could have used [Mala Ratana] or [Chatsuka Ratana] to either redirect the attack or destroy the screw-like sword that was shot at him but whether either ability would have worked in that particular situation was doubtful.

He'd seen dangerous weapons before and the thing that was shot at him presented a level of danger that he had yet to see or encounter.

"Sometimes I wonder why the undeserving always manage to receive the greatest blessings."

With a scoff, the Red Guardian looked at him with derision, still holding the black bow in his hand.

Cao Cao didn't move to engage. He was injured, his movement slightly impaired, so charging in against an opponent with superior physical ability was plain idiotic, especially when said opponent could pull out any sort of weapon to suit the situation.

He stayed in position, allowing himself some respite. Saving his energy while he can, waiting for a chance to take the initiative.

"Heh… I'll take that as a no to my offer then, Red Guardian?"

"Your offer? The Hero faction? Honestly, seeing you, I feel like this world is trying to mock me."

The Red Guardian scowled, a show of emotion that Cao Cao wasn't entirely expecting considering the cold persona his opponent had displayed just moments ago.

"Understand this you petulant fool, you neither have the right to call yourself and your merry band of delusional combat obsessed idiots a hero nor do you even understand the _concept of the word_."

"And I assume you do? A hero is just that, _a hero._ We're here to protect humanity, to destroy the monsters, to end the villains that plague the world. I find it laughable that you would think it has any deeper meaning!"

There was another bout of silence. The Red Guardian shook his head and looked at him like he was the most pitiful being in existence.

"I pity you, having to carry such a burden."

"A burden you say? Spare me from your unsolicited pity, we're fully glad to take up the responsibility of taking down the threats of humanity."

Seeing it as an attempt to provoke him into attacking, he answered calmly.

The Red Guardian scowled again from Cao Cao's response and clicked his tongue.

"Tch. Quiet down you idiot, I was speaking to the spear, not you."

"I'd say the same to you. You've been running your mouth for a while now haven't you? Come on and fight me!"

"You're nothing but a battle junkie. I really do feel sorry for that holy spear. If it could commit suicide, it probably would have already done so."

"Heh, I'll make sure to shut that mouth of yours and—"

Before he could even finish his threat, he felt the presence of Kuroka, suddenly appearing attempting to grab him from behind, and dodged… only to be grabbed by an injured Georg who had appeared from a thick fog that had formed nearby.

"What are you…?!"

"We're retreating nyah!"

Not even giving him the chance to speak, Kuroka had performed a life-force infused dropkick on him, fully sending him into the fog that Georg had created.

"Wait… you two…!"

As the fog completely obscured his vision, the last thing he saw was the back of the Red Guardian, walking away.

"Damn it….!"

 **==[Beyond the Answer]==**

 **==[Only Slightly Vindictive - EMIYA]==**

"Hey Shirou, so how was your first encounter with the Hero Faction?"

Still standing atop the rooftop where he had fought Cao Cao, he turned to see the approaching figures of Rin and Ophis.

Ophis had her _'I was hoping to see Unlimited Blade Works being used in the battle but was left disappointed and now I'm hungry so please feed me'_ face.

Rin had her _'I'm perfectly innocent and had done nothing wrong'_ smiling face. It was a smile she wore anytime she knowingly did something she knew would make him or anyone else angry for one reason or another.

 _'Now exactly how am I going to deal with these two?'_

The first thing he'd have to do later was to get some ingredients and make something for Ophis to eat to placate her. She had a slight tendency to get more insistent with her approach whenever something like this happens and feeding her tended to calm her down.

For now though, he'd need to confront Rin. She knew full well how he would have reacted to Cao Cao and the so called Hero Faction so she should have a damn good reason to have done so regardless.

"Rin…"

"I'm innocent!"

Rin Tohsaka stood proud, crossed her arms, and expressed her intent to wash her hands of any and all possible accusations and reprimands regardless of how justified they were.

He sighed deeply. That meant she had no intention to explain herself regardless of what he said or did. He had a good idea of what she was trying to do but what she would possibly get out of it was beyond him.

She probably already expected his reaction even.

"Fine. For now I'll let this slide _. For now_. Don't expect me to simply blindly agree to whatever plan you have."

"Hehe, oh don't worry Shirou, I certainly don't expect you _to agree_."

If Rin had honestly thought he wasn't going to be taking a bit of revenge later for this whole situation then she was honestly underestimating how vindictive he could get.

 ***Tug* *Tug***

Ophis had already teleported into his shoulder and began tugging at his hair, effectively making Cao Cao's Atsusa Ratana look generic in comparison.

He let out another sigh. Though he had appreciated not having to act as a Counter Guardian in the current world, it still certainly had its annoyances.

"Well we're done here. Ophis-chan, go ahead and take the space out."

"… Un."

Ophis, while never moving from her seat on his shoulder, raised her hand...

 ***CRUNCH**CRUNCH***

 ***SHATTER***

Cracks started appearing in the sky and the ground. The world itself looked like it was being pulled from the inside.

 ***SHATTER* *SHATTER***

Everything in the world seemed to turn into fragile glass and began to dissipate into particles of light.

…

…

…

When he opened his eyes, he was back in the apartment he rented. It had already returned to its small, unaltered state, so it was rather crowded with three people.

Ophis was still tugging at his hair but Rin was already approaching the small kitchen (or rather, a counter with a single sink and portable stove) where she had placed the bag she had bought with her.

She started to take out a few more snacks, cookies, crackers, and carbonated drinks and the like. Needless to say the bag was probably enchanted with the Second Magic, seeing as its size couldn't possible hold everything Rin had been taking out from it.

"Hey Shirou, hurry up and get changed already. Let's get some rest after all that."

Rin commanded as she entered the bathroom while carrying her pajamas.

I took off my mantle and picked up a long sleeved shirt to change into.

 **==[Back Home - EMIYA]==**

"So what did you think? Seeing _that_ weapon?"

We were all on the bed, assuming that peculiar position where Rin would sit between my legs and Ophis would sit on her lap. It was still dark out and Rin had turned off the lights right as she confirmed Ophis and myself were done changing.

Ophis was quietly eating away at the chocolate chip cookies Rin had provided while Rin herself was busy petting the dragon god's head.

"The _True Longinus_ was it?"

"Yeah. I wanted your impression of it. Sacred Gears in general have been something of interest for me ever since I found this world. The True Longinus in particular is rather special, even among the other Longinus."

"Special huh? Well that fits it quite a bit. If I were to compare it to other Sacred Gears, I'd say the most glaring difference is the amount of 'will' it possessed."

The ability to sympathize with swords and weapons in general meant that he wasn't just able to see its history and method of creation, he was also able to 'see and feel' the will that was imparted on it upon its creation.

Among the sacred gears he had encountered, the True Longinus bore a will so strong that it was almost tangible.

When he had addressed the sword in his battle with Cao Cao earlier, he had done so partly due to knowing its purpose of creation after having analyzed it.

"Can you replicate it? Not just the True Longinus, I mean Sacred Gears in general."

"It's impossible. I've actually tried tracing a Sacred Gear that took on the form of a weapon before and I failed."

"Hmmm… but weren't you capable of tracing conceptual weapons as well? Sacred Gears are basically unique conceptual weapons after all. I'd understand if it were formless Sacred Gears, but a sword type one shouldn't be beyond your abilities."

"You're basic assumption there is wrong. It's not about tracing conceptual weapons, which I can do with ease. It's about the _composition of Sacred Gears._ "

If it was a weapon, he was capable of replicating the form at best. He was still able to see through its history and its purpose of creation but the composition, the material used for its creation, the method used to create it were essentially unknown to him.

"My reality marble operates on the fact that a sword, or a weapon, can be created by the materials and sorceries that are present in the world. I can trace Hrunting because at one point of time, there were sorceries and materials, and the skill capable of crafting that weapon… or at least the possibility to create it."

Unlimited Blade Works was a reality marble that allowed him to 'craft the sword' per say. Everything needed to achieve this one goal was made available in that world but at the same time, that very world is limited by the fact that he was human.

He held knowledge, sensibilities, and the comprehension of a human being, hence only things that could be created within those limitations where possible to replicate.

"On the other hand, I can't trace something like Ea because both its material composition and process of creation are incomprehensible to me and to humanity in general. The same goes for Sacred Gears, even the sword types. Their compositions are completely foreign to me, as well as their method of creation."

"Ah, I see. So basically, Sacred Gears are Divine Constructs like Ea? It seems that the god spoke off from the Christian bible was the one to create it, something about a system to create miracles."

Divince Constructs where called exactly that because they were objects that where essentially _willed_ into existence by some god or are created with materials and methods that _no human could possibly understand_.

It was unlikely that a 'true' sacred gear can be created in this world unless another god would attempt it. It was probably possible to create something close to it using materials and methods available in this world however.

"Hmmm… well I guess that's as much as I expected."

Silence followed as Rin decided to relax herself and close her eyes.

"Hey Shirou, let's get some sleep. Tomorrow we'll be preparing to travel so we'll need to be well-rested."

"Travel to where exactly?"

She turned slightly to regard me with a large grin.

"Why, to the center of all the future events in this world. Kuoh Town!"

 _In that moment, countless relevant people who existed in various parts of the world that would one day be involved in various situations had all felt a sense of dread._

 **==[Beyond the Answer]==**

 **==[Author's Corner]==**

Hey there, you've made it to the end, thanks for reading. It's only 5.6k long so it's a lot shorter than the last mega-chapter a while back.

Once again, thank you for all those that have read, reviewed, followed, and faved this story. I love the heck out of all of you!

 **==[Additional]==**

For my original stories - Blog: nukokon_word press _com  
If you want to support me – P a treon_com (slash)nukoko

Underscores are dots and no spaces!

Thank you and see you next chapter!


	7. Chapter 7

Well it's been awhile hasn't it? If you could please spare me a moment before proceeding with the chapter... **  
**

I've focused on The Forge fic for most of 2017 since many seemed to prefer having that updated over this one (from the messages and reviews at least).  
For the readers of The Forge, expect an update within the week. It's done, just polishing out that one annoying fight scene I keep failing at.

Haven't been able to write much this 2018 however (last update was January for The Forge).  
Having to shoulder medical bills and tuition fees meant that I needed to really put in more hours at work, and unfortunately that meant I had to put writing on the back-burner. I really love to write... but lack of time that I can dedicate to writing though part of it is burn-out from work really makes it hard.

Recently, an RL friend of mine had suggested I try makin treon for my stories. She also pointed out that I could try and get a reader base on my original works (which is a single novel and a few shorts).

Since I didn't have much to lose and since it seemed like it would be the perfect answer if it actually succeeded (would let me indulge in writing, would let me meet financial obligations, and would let me meet the expectations of my readers), I decided to take a shot at it.

Hence, I've made a blog that will host my original stories. The first of which is PLAYER/KILLER which you can check out at nukokon_word press_com.

The P a treon page (P a treon_com (slash) Nukoko) will be based around this story and the fanfics that I already have.  
It is, of course, perfectly optional. I'll keep coming back to write regardless though it would certainly help a great deal.

 **This will be the last author's notes. I'll be saving the notes for when I do status updates on the blog or the p a treon page.**

 **Note: Former chapters have been given minor edits. All thoughts, extras, omakes, and answer to review sections were removed.  
These sections will be transferred to the blog so that this fic will only show the main story itself. **

Now, let's begin the first chapter of the new arc!

 **===[Beyond the Answer]===**

 **===[The Beautiful Fantasy – Kuoh Shopping District]===**

Compared to the serene and calm parts of the town, the market district was bustling and full of energy.

Before the sun had even graced the skies, shutters were already opening to show the varied wares of the many shops located in the district.

Among the many shoppers however, was a unique sight. A tall, dark-skinned man with a build that tore away the eyes of the housewives from the fresh ingredients they would use for breakfast.

Lovingly grabbing the man's arm was a black-haired woman.

If the two were to be put in an anime, cute little hearts would have been flying around to punctuate the sweet atmosphere that they exuded. The couple seemed like a match made in heaven, and the way they looked at each other seem like they would never allow anything to separate them.

Most would find the display of affection nauseating or at the very least, those that have found themselves unfortunate enough to not have a significant other would have burned in jealousy. However, what made the shouts and thoughts of envy and jealousy from the crowd into almost a mindless and collective cooing was the figure of the little girl that was accompanying the couple.

The little girl had snow white complexion and jet black hair long enough to reach the ground. She was dressed in the cutest black sailor uniform that made her look like a doll. The way she squeezed herself in between the two adults and the way she tightly gripped the hem of their clothes was a display of weapon grade cuteness.

The many shoopkeeps couldn't help but smile at the site of this young family.

"Papa…."

The quiet and demure way the little girl would look and plead to her father, the way her father would smile wryly, as if disapproving yet still acquiescing to the silent plea as he picks up the little girl and carries her in his arms, all while the wife there was nothing more in the world she could want, effectively melted the hearts of everyone watching.

From some discreet questions and inquiries of the more curious shop keepers, they found out that the father had just returned from his work overseas and the family had only been reunited recently. They had just moved in, excited to finally have the start of their cute little family.

The shop keepers, most of them past their 40s and with families of their own, couldn't help but smile, looking at a truly happy family. Most would always offer discount or an add-on every time the couple would make a purchase. The family would always put on an awkward smile, trying to refuse, but they would always insist.

After all, a family so happy to be together, a family that was clearly bound by love, almost deliriously happy together was such a rare sight to see in modern times that everyone wanted to fully support the family's happiness.

For the past two weeks, this has become the common sight in the shopping district.

 **===[Beyond the Answer]===**

 **===[The Unfortunate Reality – Base of Operations]===**

After exiting the shopping district, the _'young family'_ made their way through the street of the town of Kuoh.

Instead of going through the main roads, they discreetly went through a series of alleyways that eventually lead to a two storey building. The building itself was conveniently placed near the famed Kuoh Academy and the shopping district. It wasn't hidden but it was at least obscured and difficult to observe from afar.

Reaching the door, Emiya Shirou, the supposed father of the family bound by love, took out the keys from his pocket and opened the door to the apartment.

It was a studio-type apartment with a western feel. From the small hallway, they proceeded into the main room that served as a combination of the living room, dining room, and the kitchen. The respective areas were determined by the difference in flooring and had no dividers, with the living room being carpeted while the kitchen and dining room having laminated floors.

The three of them were all carrying groceries and placed them on the counter.

Taking their respective seats at the round dining table, the sweet family atmosphere that they exuded had suddenly disappeared, like it was just an illusion.

"Shirou, what's our status in terms of supplies?"

"Adequate. Considering the budget you've given me, we could sustain ourselves without any problems for the next month. The discounts and freebies we've received from the shop keepers have increased since we've enacted operation _'Loving family'_."

Rin Tohsaka, the supposed love-struck wife, assumed a cold and frightening smile at his report.

[Operation: Loving Family] was something Rin had proposed in order to maximize their ability to procure supplies and basic necessities while minimizing our monetary expenditure.

The plan was simple. The three of them would play the roles of a sickeningly sweet and loving young family without a slightly dramatic yet believable background when they were out exploring the town.

He would play the stoic yet gentle father who just returned from overseas. Rin would be the loving and expressive wife. Ophis would be shy daughter. Together, they would convince the shopping district and the town that they were a simple family doing their best to live as together as a family and struggling to do so.

It was a plan that took advantage of the kindness of people and their willingness to help and it was by all rights a horrible thing to do, however aside from the fact that he had no qualms with the morality of the plan itself, he signed off on the plan due to two reasons.

The primary reason was that it was extremely practical. Being able to gain more resources while minimizing the usage of their limited budget was ideal and the act would help establish the three of them within the community.

The latter was especially important as Rin had made clear they would stay here for an extended amount of time. In those situations, it was better to establish a decent image to the civilian populace to avoid unnecessary problems in the future. It was inevitable that he would have to move together with Ophis in the future and he would rather not have to deal with the unfortunate implications that that would have.

The second reason was that Rin clearly prepared the situation in advance. In his long experience of dealing with her, he knew that simply going with the flow and adapting as necessary was the best course of action.

There was also the fact that the plan perfectly satisfied Rin's almost compulsive need to put a perfect public persona, though that wasn't something he had any intention on pointing out unless he was given the perfect opportunity.

"Ophis-chan, did you manage to confirm our local dragon?"

"Yes. I, have confirmed Ddraig's existence. I, have also confirmed that he had been turned into a devil."

This time, Rin turned towards Ophis, who had already devoured an entire box of donuts in the time we had sat around the dinner table and I finished speaking. Rin reached out to wipe the crumbs on her face while nodding and turning towards me to continue the report.

"Hyoudou Issei. Spiky brown hair, average height, hopeless pervert. Can often be seen doing standard grunt devil grunt work, delivering pamphlets and answering requests while traveling with a bicycle."

Every time he had encountered the boy since entering the town, he had found him involved in some kind of trouble due to his perversion. From what the small glimpses he had of the boy however, it seemed that there was some kindness inside the thick layer of idiocy and perversion he wore.

"Good! We're on schedule then. We'll be having a meeting with Rias Gremory and Sona Sitri, the devil princesses that are governing the area tomorrow. We'll discuss how that's supposed to go in the morning, for now, let's have some snacks!"

With a clap of her hands, Rin ended the short meeting, but before she could stand to start arranging the groceries, he decided it was about time to address the topic she'd been avoiding since their little reunion.

"Rin. You've avoided the question enough. Why are we here? What do you mean by saving me?"

Among the extensively long list of questions he wanted her to answer, that was the most important one. The only one that really mattered.

The smile on her face disappeared and she gave him a serious look.

Closing her eyes for a moment, she let out a sigh before shaking her head and letting out a rueful smile.

"Well this I guess this is as good as time as any… Would you mind if we discussed this while eating?"

 **===[Beyond the Answer]===**

"The thing with Parallel worlds is that when you go into one, you'll find a world that was is largely the same from the world you come from but with a few key differences."

Popping a dumpling in her mouth, Rin reclined her back onto Shirou as she sat between his legs. On her lap, Ophis was munching on some convenience store melon bread.

It seemed like this was her preferred position.

"Eventually, after you cross enough, the amount of differences keep on stacking, until you find worlds that have diverged so far from your original world that you'd find its history completely different."

She raised her left hand facing the palm upwards. With the index finger of her right hand, she traced a horizontal line perpendicular to the fingers of her left hand.

"Of course, the major details are retained. Things like Physics and Mathematics are pretty consistent. To truly find a world where even those laws have become distorted, you probably have to cross through millions upon millions of parallel worlds-"

She paused to take a drink from the PET bottle.

"Now, let's talk about the Throne of Heroes. The throne itself exists within the Root, hence it is beyond the constraints of time. This means that no matter what world you're in, even if you go to a world that's extremely different from our original, that particular world would still access the same Throne."

Hence, even in the current world they were in, one where humanlike Devils and Angels existed, one where the phantasmal beasts were prolific, and one where a Shirou Emiya had likely never existed; he could still be summoned.

"That in mind, you can technically summon any Heroic Spirit as a Servant in any kind of world, though doing so in a world where their history doesn't exist would pretty much be borderline impossible as there would be nothing to connect the servant to that world."

He brought his mind back to the crimson pendant that had connected the two of them across different dimensions. It had been enough to be summoned by another Rin Tohsaka across many parallel worlds.

"Now, in order to ascend to the throne, there are only two known methods."

Rin continued, raising two fingers in the air.

Ophis, who had finished her snacks, had decided to rest her head on Rin's stomach.

"The first is observation and recognition. Simply put, those are two factors that contribute to the sublimation of a being into a standard heroic spirit. In your case, being the idiot that you are, you took the second path of forging a contract."

Proper Heroic Spirits were beings that performed deeds that no other could do. To possess qualities that no other could hold. Beings whose identity, whose actions, and whose achievements, were observed and recognized.

That was what could be considered the 'proper' method of ascension.

"That contract turned you into a Heroic Spirit without the recognition or worship but it also turned you into a puppet that enacted the will of Alaya. The goal here is to remove you from that position by making ascending you with the proper method."

Which meant that she planned on him matching the deeds that other heroes of legend had achieved. A feat of heroism or villainy that would be so great that it would be spoken of as a myth or a legend in countless years to come.

It was a completely stupid idea.

"Rin, that's absurd…. Even if I achieve anything of note here, it'll be completely pointless. I'm a Servant, nothing but another instance, a copy of the original Shirou Emiya that's still in the Throne. How you think this will work—"

"A **Servant** Shirou? What gave you that idea?"

That question made him stop cold.

Rin shifted her position, enough that she was sitting sideways relative to him.

Her eyes met his own as his mind raced to put the pieces together. He could see determination in those blue eyes. Determination mixed with a hint of madness.

"How can the 'main body' of a Heroic Spirit be summoned Shirou?"

"… The World. Only the World itself supposedly has the ability to summon our 'main body'."

There was a bit of hesitation in his answer as pieces started falling into place.

Rin smiled as she patted Ophis' head, who was using Rin's stomach as a pillow.

"Did you know Shirou? The Swirl of the Root, the so called Akashic records, is actually a placeholder name used to refer to **Nothingness**? It's rather difficult to explain… but I guess Ophis-chan here would know better… after all _she was born from Nothingness_."

He grimaced as the last detail became apparent.

A being born from **'Nothingness'** of infinity. One who can be said to hold the origin of **'Nothingness'.**

 _An existence that was not only the personification of the will of the earth but also likely holds a direct connection to the Root._

He could only imagine what kind of power Ophis actually held.

"Isn't it interesting Emiya-kun? For someone this adorable to hold so much significance. I searched so many worlds… explored so many possibilities… until eventually, I happened upon Ophis-chan."

He could only imagine what it took for Rin to find this world. A dimensions that not only held all the elements needed for her to succeed in her goal but also a dimensions where those elements were in the correct combination and order she needed to succeed.

"Will it work? Being perfectly honest, it's pretty unlikely. It's something that required a lot of liberty in interpreting the mechanics of how Heroic Spirits are deified and not something that can actually be tested in a laboratory. However, among every possibility I've studied, this is the only one with a sliver of a chance…"

It was likely that the Rin's plan wouldn't work. In fact, it was likely that her plan hinged on something that would require several miracles to occur.

 _However, what truly silenced him was that she had found the one method that had something beyond absolute zero._

 **===[Beyond the Answer]===**

 **==[The Starting Point – Rin Tohsaka]==**

The meeting with the devils was thankfully scheduled in the afternoon, right after lunch time.

One of the things I've come to realize as I lived a life far longer than the average human being was that if you weren't a morning person, you will _never_ be a morning person.

Hence, with very strict instructions, I had Shirou and Ophis-chan wake me up at 6 o'clock sharp so I can start my morning recovery period earlier.

The coffee that Shirou brewed was expertly done and had helped in my transformation from 'zombie that just walked out of the grave' to 'stunningly beautiful girl' in the time it took to finish the drink.

Whoever it was that invented coffee needs to be given some kind of distinction. The thing was borderline True Magic in my book.

"A bounded field."

Shirou commented as he walked beside me, with Ophis-chan happily sitting on his shoulders. He was more solemn than usual, having already entered a state of alertness you'd see in a soldier that was prepared for a battle.

From my peripheral vision, I could see him observing every aspect of the surroundings, identifying possible points of attacks and points of escape.

He was wearing a black button down sleeveless shirt, black skinny jeans, and leather shoes. I made sure to pat his hear down, to make him a bit less intimidating. Image was important to a Hero after all.

His attire also complimented my own set of red blouse, black pencil skirt, and heels. Your standard classy office attire.

With Ophis wearing her sailor uniform, we looked like a married couple straight out of the office, escorting their kids to school.

"This should be the place."

I stopped in front of the large black gate of the school.

From the needlessly elaborate fountain that marked the centre of the campus to the fact that every single building was so clean and pristine that they looked new, I could only consider it one of the more lavish schools I've seen.

The place was rather empty due to the fact that it was a weekend, though there were quite a few people busy with doing general cleaning and maintenance.

"Good day. You must be Tohsaka-san?"

Right after entering the premises of the school, we were greeted by a very stacked black haired beauty. I'd like to stress the very stacked part, because she possessed proportions that you'd only really find common in teenage fantasies.

Himejima Akeno. Fallen Angel turned devil. The 'Queen' piece. Specialized in lightning based magic and serves as the second in command of her peerage. A pervert.

She greeted us with a gentle smile as she looked at each of us but it was easy to see from her body language that she was being cautious.

"Yes, the two beside me are my bodyguards, Emiya Shirou and Ophis. You must be Himejima-san, it's a pleasure to meet you!"

Giving my best business smile, I approached the former fallen angel and shook her hand.

I had no intention to really hide either of their identities since it was pointless for the most part.

Shirou's name was going to be spread far and wide sooner or later so hiding it was counter-productive.

Ophis-chan's name and appearance on the other hand, was only really known by the higher authorities of the respective factions in the world. Anyone who would actually be able to recognize her would know enough not to get in the way unless they want to provoke a reaction from a Dragon God.

"It's a pleasure as well! Please follow me, my King, Rias Gremory is waiting for you. Another King, Sona Sitri, and her Queen, Tsubaki Shinra are also at the meeting place already as well."

We were guided through the campus, with playing the part of a playful tour guide.

Just as Shirou was likely busy searching for the ideal paths for escapes and infiltration, I was taking stock of the bounded fields and enchantments I could detect.

There were quite a few, though most seemed to be focused on detection, alert, and preservation. There weren't traps, which was expected from an area frequented by a large amount of normal human beings and non-humans not aligned with the devils.

It was perfectly fine for an area that was at peace. From the perspective of the devils governing the area, any threat could likely be handled by their own abilities and it was unlikely that the place would be subjected to some kind of large scale attack.

Too bad that peace time wouldn't be lasting at all.

"We're here. It's quite old but the Old Schoolhouse will be serve as the place for our meeting."

It was a three storey building, with the third serving as a small clock tower. Its location was actually quite a ways off from the main campus, with a veritable forest surrounding its premises.

Himejima entered the building, waving us in casually, and lead us into what seemed to be clubroom that looked like it was decorated by someone from born in 19th century Europe.

"Hmmm, welcome!"

Sitting on one of the Victorian styled chairs with a cheerful smile, was yet another unreasonably stacked red haired beauty. Rias Gremory. The 'King' of her peerage. Bears the infamous 'Power of Destruction'. The younger sister of the current Lucifer.

She showed a mature and amicable persona. The dependable senior and caring older sister type character.

"Yes. Welcome to Kuoh Academy. As you may know, I'm Sona Sitri, beside me is my Queen, Tsubaki."

"A pleasure to meet you."

In contrast to Gremory, Sitri and her Queen were far more strict and professional. In stark contrast to the two sitting beside them, both Sitri and Tsubaki had proportions that were within the realm of reality and appearances that actually made them look like Japanese natives.

"Tohsaka Rin. A magician."

With an amicable business smile myself, I took a seat.

Shirou, as per our morning meeting, stood silently beside me, mirroring the Queens of the devil peerage. Ophis-chan in contrast, sat on snugly on my lap.

Right, it was time we finally get this show started.

 **===[Beyond the Answer]===**

 **===[The Holy Maiden – Asia Argento]===**

" _You knew didn't you?"_

 _As she sat with her back to the tree, sitting on one of its roots, her saviour had decided to ask her a question while the little girl with black hair handed her a bowl of soup._

 _Her saviour's appearance and accent told her that they weren't native to the country. They seemed to be travellers though she had yet to ask properly._

" _Knew…?"_

 _She tilted her in confusion. She had been called sheltered and was sure that there were a lot of things she needed to learn._

" _That he wasn't human."_

 _It had been two weeks since she had joined the pair in their travels. Two weeks after she was excommunicated._

 _Two weeks after they had saved her from the devil she had healed, the same one that attempted to have his way with her._

 _She nodded her head in response._

" _Yes. I was able to determine that he wasn't human."_

" _Why heal him then?"_

" _Because he was hurt."_

 _She didn't particularly understand why her saviour seemed curious about her reasons._

 _She had found someone that was injured and she had the ability to heal._

 _It was a power that had been given to her by God so it was only normal that she would use it to help heal anyone in need._

" _The injury on that devil was self-inflicted. A ploy orchestrated specifically to remove you from the good graces of the Church and take you for himself. Had you known that, would you have healed him still?"_

" _Yes."_

 _The answer left her lips without hesitation._

 _For her, there was no need to question the situation that had caused the injury._

 _She always believed she was born so she could ease the pain of others._

" _Is that so…"_

"Asia... Asia. It's time to go."

"Hnnyah….?"

Feeling a tap on her shoulder, she opened her eyes to find herself inside a stone chapel, sitting on a wooden bench.

It had been a while since she last dreamed of her time with her savior.

It's been over a month since they had parted ways.

"Ah… I apologize Miss Xenovia!"

"Calm down, there's no harm done. We travelled quite far on foot and though you had been trained under that woman as well, you still need a bit more until you can match my pace."

Her blue haired friend and fellow exorcist gave her a small smile.

Though she was being comforted and she knew it was true, she still felt a sense of shame. When her saviour had left her in the care of Sir Gesualdo and Lady Quarta, she was intent on making sure that she could fulfil her responsibilities.

"Oh, Miss Xenovia, could that be the Excalibur?"

Taking notice of the large case beside her friend, she immediately realized its contents.

"The Excalibur of Destruction. It's a bit more difficult to carry compared to your Excalibur of Mimicry, but it packs quite a bit of power."

"Does this mean we will finally make our way to the land of Japan?"

"You seem excited, any reason for that?"

"Yes! Lady Quatra had told me that Sir Emiya is there. I would like to show him and Miss Ophis how far I've come!"

She couldn't help but sound excited at the prospect.

It had been a while since she had gotten to see her saviour, Sir Emiya and her first friend, Miss Dragon. She had wanted to be able to show the progress she's made since their parting.

"Well we still have a few things to take care of. We need to gather and validated some of the information before we can make a move… I'm not particularly good with that stuff so I'll rely on you for that."

"Of course! Shall we go then?"

Standing up, she reached for the cross hanging from her neck out of instinct.

She held the cross and clenched it for a moment, saying a short prayer in her mind.

A prayer for safe travel and a prayer for a happy reunion.

 **===[Beyond the Answer]===  
**

 **===[Chapter End]===**

Your standard arc starter chapter. Indulged in a bit of humor

Thank you for reading and leave a review if you have time!


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